  | Poisoned apples : poems for you, my pretty Author: Heppermann, Christine | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
Christine Heppermann's powerful collection of free verse poems explore how girls are taught to think about themselves, their bodies, their friends--as consumers, as objects, as competitors. Based on classic fairy tale characters and fairy tale tropes, the poems range from contemporary retellings to first person accounts set within the original stories. From Snow White's cottage and Rapunzel's tower to health class and the prom, these poems are a moving depiction of young women, society, and our expectations. Poisoned Apples is a dark, clever, witty, beautiful, and important book for teenage girls, their sisters, their mothers, and their best friends.
Reviews:
School Library Journal (00/07/14)
Booklist (+) (10/15/14)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 10/15/2014 *Starred Review* In 50 free-verse poems, Heppermann offers revisionist views of such traditional fairy tales as Snow White, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and more. Each of her verses is offered in the context of the modern lives of young women, who must confront the difference between the promises of sugar-coated fantasy and the bitter lessons of real life—lives that are often plagued by such problems as self-image, sexual harassment, anorexia, loneliness, and self-loathing. Thus, a bitter Eve is the first anorexic; the giant’s daughter goes to the prom with greedy little Jack but longs for a man she can look up to; Miss Muffet diets until she is so small that the spider can wrap her in his web for later ingestion; Cinderella’s ugly stepsister binges; Red Riding Hood wants to cohabit with the sexy wolf; the erstwhile ugly duckling has second thoughts about beauty; and more. As for tone and spirit, one could exhaust a thesaurus searching for words adequate to describe these selections: angry, acerbic, bleak, bitter, caustic, and cutting, and those are only the first three letters of the alphabet. As for content, look elsewhere for inspiration, but linger here for hard-edged truth. And while you’re reading, enjoy the black-and-white photographic illustrations, which capture the tone and echo the occasional obscurity of each poem—for although the literal meanings are not always immediately forthcoming, the haunting, evocative sensibility evoked is ever and impeccably present. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 07/01/2014 Gr 8 Up—Traditional folk and fairy tales collide with feminist observations of modern beauty and hygiene culture in this compilation of 50 free verse and easy to read poems. Each one grapples with the state of femininity with caustic wit, heavy with criticism. Readers will also be treated to moody and eye-catching artwork that complements the poems perfectly. The accessibility of the poems coupled with the striking book cover and photos will appeal to a wide range of readers. The poems should spark interesting questions and insights for contemplation about obtaining a pop culture-derived, air-brushed perfection. One weakness is a failure to consider diversity in femininity; more feminine readers might find the poems slightly insulting because of a tone of disdain toward beauty culture. Overall, however, this is an engaging and enjoyable volume.—Mindy Whipple, West Jordan Library, UT - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
