ode to a nobody

CAROLINE BROOKS DUBOIS received her MFA in poetry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, under the scholarship of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet James Tate, among other greats in the poetry world.

Caroline writes both poetry and prose and a mixture of the two. Her poetry has appeared in an eclectic collection of media, from Highlights High Five (November 2017), Southern Poetry Review, to The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Her debut novel is The Places We Sleep, published in 2020. It is an NCTE Notable Book in Poetry and A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year and received a Starred Review from School Library Journal. Her second novel is Ode to a Nobody (2022).

Caroline has taught poetry workshops, creative writing and composition classes, and English at the middle school, high school, and college levels. In May 2016, she was recognized as a Nashville Blue Ribbon Teacher for her dedication to her students and excellence in teaching adolescents.

Caroline is the director of the Literary Arts Conservatory at Nashville School of the Arts High School in Nashville, Tennessee. She lives with her singer-songwriter husband, with whom she’s co-written songs, and their two children and dog.

A devastating tornado tears apart more than just houses in this striking novel in verse about a girl rebuilding herself.

Before the storm, thirteen-year-old Quinn was happy flying under the radar. She was average. Unremarkable. Always looking for an escape from her house, where her bickering parents fawned over her genius big brother.

    Inside our broken home / we didn’t know how broken / the world outside was.

But after the storm, Quinn can’t seem to go back to average. Her friends weren’t affected by the tornado in the same way. To them, the storm left behind a playground of abandoned houses and distracted adults. As Quinn struggles to find stability in the tornado’s aftermath, she must choose: between homes, friendships, and versions of herself.

      Nothing that was mine / yesterday is mine today.

Told in rich, spectacular verse, Caroline Brooks DuBois crafts a powerful story of redemption as Quinn makes her way from Before to After. There’s nothing average about the world Quinn wakes up to after the storm; maybe there’s nothing average about her, either. This emotional coming-of-age journey for middle grade readers proves that it’s never too late to be the person you want to be. (from publisher)

Praise for Ode to a Nobody: 

A blend of lovely writing and insightful middle school dynamics. -Kirkus Reviews

In three free-verse sections, attentive word choice from Brooks DuBois (The Places We Sleep) exhibits the healing power of writing, charting Quinn’s evolution from passive and insecure observer to conscientious aspiring poet. -Publishers Weekly, starred review

Eighth-grader Quinn is an underachiever, a failure who can never live up to her perfect older brother with his perfect grades and perfect college life…The telling of this novel in verse reflects the main character’s own journey into words and poetry while crafting a story of pure emotion.

VERDICT A book in verse that vibrates with the emotional transition of a teenager into a confident poet that should find its way to many library shelves. -School Library Journal, starred review

• 2023 Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College Children’s Book of the Year

• 2023-2024 Volunteer State Book Award Nominee (Tennessee)

Q&A with Caroline Brooks DuBois

Ode to Nobody by Caroline Brooks DuBois – Book Review

Includes lesson plan ideas (LitLessons)

Tragically Playful: How Verse Novels Lend Levity to the Difficult, a guest post by Caroline Brooks DuBois (School Library Journal Teen Librarian Toolbox)

Ode to a Nobody First Chapter Friday (YouTube 12:44 min)

Words, Images, & Worlds (episode 251 with Caroline Brooks DuBois: Spotify podcast 18:48 min)

https://poets.org/lesson-plans

What is Poetry? Contrasting Poetry and Prose (ReadWriteThink lesson plan)

National Poetry Month: Useful Resources for Teachers and Students (Edutopia)

Audiobook Preview (YouTube Google Play Books 24:37 min)

Author’s Website

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