Kwame Alexander has such a gift. His words are beautiful, and it is amazing to watch a story unfold.

This story ran the gamut from materialism to philanthropy. I think teens can glean something from several angles. Will recommend to readers of realistic fiction. The novel in verse is also a great "sell" to reluctant readers.

I want to love everything Kwame Alexander writes because I think so highly of him. However, his new book Solo just doesn't seem as well crafted to me as his previous books in verse.

17-year old Blade Morrison is the son of a famous musician struggling with alcoholism. He is trying to sort out familial and romantic relationships. Blade is navigating his world through music, which many students I am sure can relate to.

Blade is a seventeen year old who has grown up living the life of a rock star legend's son - the good and the bad sides. He's had everything he could ever want, but he grew up in the public eye with paparazzi watching out for every misstep. His life hasn't been without tragedy either. At nine he lost his mother, and his father lost himself to addictions. Blade and his sister grew up with broken promises of sobriety. 

When his father literally crashes one of the biggest moments of his life, Blade has had enough. He's witnessed enough broken promises to fill a lifetime and cannot forgive his father this time. Blade begins to question everything he has known when a deeply hidden family secret comes to light. A journey from the hills of Hollywood to a village in Ghana may be just what he needs to rediscover who Blade Morrison is and for what he stands.

THOUGHTS: Like Alexander's sports themed The Crossover and Kicked, Solo is told in verse. With the music inspired characters, this time the story is interspersed with song lyrics, many by main character Blade Morrison. Fans of music, especially rock and roll, will appreciate the references and lyrics. Within the short lines, there is much more than music. Family contentions, addiction and substance abuse, as well as one's identity are all pieces of the puzzle. This book has so much more to offer all readers, and reluctant readers especially will enjoy its brief verse style.

Quick read with unexpected depth. At first the characters seem a bit one-dimensional, but then there is a big reveal and things change quite a bit.

This book was fantastic!  One thing I love about Mr. Alexander is his ability to create male characters that middle and high school boys can relate to. That's the first thing about this book that struck me - the greatness of the main character (yet again!). 
I also thought the content of this was surprisingly amazing. When I first read he was going to Ghana I thought hmmm, but it was perfect. It made the title so perfect and relevant. 
My ONLY criticism (if you can call it that) was the openness at the ending. Which is only because I was rooting so hard for the main (and secondary) characters so I just wanted to know. 
Well done. A 5-star read.

Knowing Kwame Alexander's reputation but not having read any previously, I'm glad I started here; if you're already a fan you won't be disappointed. Blade's artistic and family and interpersonal dramas are evocative and palpable. I really enjoyed this new spin on the old "finding oneself" trope, and this story helped shed a few of the expectations attached to it. I'd recommend for just about any reader, but especially fans of Ellen Hopkins, Jandy Nelson and Robyn Schneider.

Novels written in verse are a sure fire way to get all kids, especially reluctant readers to read and enjoy poetry. Kwame has a way with words, his words and stories strike a cord with so many kids today. His storytelling is one of a kind. Kwame Alexander is a writer you want to have on your library shelves. His work is relative and brilliant. He is a much needed voice in YA. 

 Review link will be live on blog July 25, 2017

So glad that Kwame Alexander is continuing to write novels-in-verse, and now for slightly older readers! I've already put this on the syllabus for the fall semester section of my young-adult literature class. Required reading, for sure!

Very different from The Crossover and Booked. Blade, this book's protagonist, seems to have it all: son of rock 'n roll royalty, money, a bright future ahead. When the book begins we see him struggling to understand his father's alcoholism, his mother's death, his sister's coping mechanisms, and his relationship with Chapel, his girlfriend and the love of his life. Blade soon realized that his life's foundation is really a house of cards and he decides to embark on a journey of discovery to see who he really is without the people that have surrounded him his whole life.

Kwame Alexander is a master poet! From the first note you are pulled in to this masterpiece! Blade is a senior trying to find himself. Through music, family, pain, and soul searching he creates his life's soundtrack!

Solo is another masterful novel by Kwame Alexander. In his beautiful poetic voice he tells the story of a young man questioning his life. Heartfelt and fun read for young adults!

Thank you NetGalley for sharing this beautiful story with me. As soon as I knew it was written by Kwame Alexander, I knew it would be a hit. I love the way he has woven musical lyrics into the story. Boys and girls will relate to the honesty and raw emotions present in this story.  Thank you Kwame for touching us with your gifts of storytelling.

Blade Morrison is a smart young man who has experienced love and loss in his young life. He lost his mother and his rock and roller father is addicted to drugs and alcohol. When Blade learns a family secret about himself and when he suffers another loss, he decides to go on a journey that can possibly change his life the lives of those around him. #SoloBook is about love and growth and acceptance and change. It another Kwame Alexander masterpiece, written in verse, with music included. I am thankful to Netgalley for the opportunity to be an early reader in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Review based on a digital ARC provided by Netgalley.

Blade Morrison is having a crisis.  He is graduating from high school near the top of his class, he has a girlfriend that he loves, he is planning on college in the fall and he crafts and plays beautiful love songs on the guitar, but these are just the surface details of a life in turmoil.  Told through verse, with tracks from famous rock songs as section headings, this story delves into the very personal life below the surface.   A famous rock star father dealing with addiction, trouble with the aforementioned girlfriend, and a devastatingly revealed secret, all drive Blade to take a journey to Africa to learn more about himself.

The novel in verse format gives weight to the words, each chosen carefully to reflect the feelings and thoughts of Blade as he moves through the story.  Blade’s character is well developed and sympathetic.  He does not react in a perfect way to the situations he finds himself in, but his reactions are natural and realistic. 

I wish the character of Chapel were delved into a little more deeply, as it is difficult to tell why Blade loves her so much.  And while it is obvious where Blade’s father’s pain comes from, near the end of the book, an event occurs that I wonder how he will deal with in the long run.  However, this is not a story about his father or about Chapel.  It is a story about Blade, his journey and his acceptance of himself and the things that have happened in his life.  

I like how the story ended.  There was no neat resolution, no perfect ending, as there never is in life.  The ending was filled with possibilities – hopeful, yet unsure.  The situation that Blade finds himself facing at the end of the book merits this sort of ending.

Kwame Alexander does it again! Solo is another homerun of engaging story, lyrical language, and powerful theme.  Middle grade to young adult readers will stay with this one to the last page. I can't wait to listen to the playlist!

From the outside Blade has it all. His famous rock star father provides a life of ease, but loves the bad boy life too much and his sister lives a life Blade doesn't want to emulate. Looking to leave his family's shadow is difficult when the paparazzi follows his every move so when the secret of his own heritage is finally revealed in a brutal family fight he leaves everything to search for who he truly is. Ending up in Ghana he begins to find a sense of purpose and with it a sense of self. This novel in verse is grounding and necessary. 


Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Music lovers. Star gazers. World Savers. Rock and Roll Rebels. Heart-break and Sorrow, Addiction and Adoption. Love and Redemption. Beginnings and Endings. These are the subjects and themes of Kwame Alexander's astonishingly beautiful new release, Solo. Prepare for a rhythm that will reverberate in your soul long after you turn the last page. This THE story that you want your son or daughter to read.  ARC via Netgalley - Lisa Brennan, Middle School Librarian @noveltalk