Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

    Aside from Brown Girl Dreaming and If You Come Softly, I decided to read Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson. Being only 100 pages in length made tackling this book less stressful! I was immediately intrigued by the fact that this book served as Lonnie, the main characters' journal of poetry. After losing both his mother and father in a fire, Lonnie and his little sister are separated and sent to live with different foster parents. Like it would be for any child, this was a difficult thing for Lonnie to adjust to. As a coping mechanism, his teacher asked him to write poetry, although he was reluctant to do so at first. Through words, Lonnie is able to express his feelings and concerns about seeing his sister.

       What I found to be interesting about this book is the fact that as you are reading Lonnie's poetry, you actually feel like you're taking on the role of the main character. It is as if you are reading your own work of poetry. This is exactly how it felt for me when I was reading Sold by Patricia McCormack last week. Told from the perspective of Lakshmi, it's hard not to fall into the characters' shoes. This is a reason why I enjoy reading books told in the first person. They allow me to envision myself as the main character and understand how the situations they are faced with shape who they are.
     Referring back to the topic of adoption discussed throughout Locomotion, I found myself thinking about my older brother a lot. When he was only 3 months old, my parents adopted him. As my brother got older, he often felt different and disconnected from my family because he was adopted. I think it is important to talk about this particular issue discussed throughout Locomotion because it is so prevalent in our society. I wish that my brother had an opportunity to read books like this in school. It might have made it a lot easier for him to accept not only himself, but the situation he was in.