Locomotion is about a boy, Lonnie, who, four years later, is still struggling with the death of his mom and dad. They were both killed in fire at their home. Through the course of a school year, Lonnie uses his poetry assignments to come to grips with his feelings about his parents dying, his feelings about having to separate from his sister, Lili, and his feelings about whether or not where he currently lives, with Ms. Edna, is becoming his home, or just another stop in a long series of temporary places to stay. Lonnie is dealing with a lot of very big feelings, and that produces some absolutely beautiful poems.
One of the things I liked so much about this book was how the story of Lonnie was told. Unlike most books, Lonnie's tale is told out of order. As Lonnie writes his poetry, the memories of this tragedy come back to him, but not in the same order in which they happened. Another thing I loved about this story was the poetry itself. Because his poems are also assignments from his teacher, they take many different forms. There are free verse poems, haiku, rhyming poems, epistles and even a sonnet. And each makes a statement. Each poems gives the reader insight into who Lonnie is, and how the tragedy he has been through has affected him.
As I read Locomotion, Love That Dog kept jumping to mind. The stories are similar in their form. They are both told through a student's poetry assignments. And they are similar in content. They are both about kids who have suffered a terrible tragedy. If you liked Love That Dog, I bet you will like Locomotion.
The best book I have read in more than a year. Enough said. Read Locomotion!
