Module 14: Poetry & Story Collections

April 29, 2018 

Module 14: Poetry & Story Collections

Title:

Rubber Houses

Genre: Verse Novel for Young Adults

Book Summary:

Kit’s little brother, Buddy, has been diagnosed with cancer and the world as she knows it is irrevocably changed. Buddy takes it with a grain of sale and relates his fight with cancer to that of the game of baseball, which is his one true passion. At first/ he thought it was a game/ Round of Chemo/ like merry-go-/ Round of Chemo/ like ring-a-/ Round of Chemo” (Yeomans, 2007).  As the chemo blasts its way through Buddy’s body, Kit does what she can to keep his spirits up, while realizing at the same time that death is heading its way towards home plate. Buddy’s fight ends when he says, “I’m calling the game” (Yeomans, 2007). Upon his passing, Kit and her family now experience a new normal and must learn to cope with the loss of Buddy. The author portrays the experience of loss from the perspective of Kit and her parents hits a nerve, especially for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one from cancer. Upon entering Senior year, Kit begins to pull away from those who have been with her from the start and she loses the desire for planning for her future.  She attends a bereavement group for teens and tries to cope with the different stages of her grief. Stumbling into a job at the local hardware store and fostering her interest in community service projects shows Kit that there is hope for her and her future.

APA Reference of Book: 

Yeomans, E. (2007). Rubber houses. New York. NY: Little, Brown, and Company

Impression:

I read this book in one sitting and could completely relate to the struggles Kit deals with, having lost a sister in my younger years. Yeoman’s style of free-verse writing allows the reader great insight into Kit’s innermost emotions, her struggle with dealing with her brother’s diagnosis while struggling to keep a straight face throughout Buddy’s treatment. Kit’s actions portray the different stages of the grieving process, from shock to denial, resentment and anger and then isolation from everything around her. They say time heals all wounds. It’s not a case of “closure” per se, but the learning of a living with a new normal, for both Kit and her family. This book would be an excellent read for students who have experienced the loss of a loved one. I wish there was a book like this one written at the time I lost my sister to help me through the grieving process.

Professional Review:

Continuing her thematic preoccupation with death, Yeomans creates a free-verse diary for 17-year-old Kit's year-long period of grief, guilt and ultimate coping strategy following the loss of her nine-year-old brother Buddy to cancer. Juxtaposed with baseball terminology, Buddy's first love and obsession, the poems are divided into five sections imitating the year-long cycle of the sport: "Warm-Ups, 'Regular' Season, Postseason, Hot Stove, Spring Training." Sad, often depressing and achingly difficult to read with sustained interest, Buddy's illness and death are described in the first two sections followed by Kit's long, drawn-out feelings of despair, anger and general lack of concern for her own future without her little brother. Finally, as with the promise of each new "Spring Training," Kit finds refuge and recovery working as a clerk in the local hardware store, renews neglected friendships and resolves at least to begin her higher education at the local community college. Perhaps a little too cathartic and personal, Yeomans's symbolic use of the happy American pastime is discordant with the somber and grave issue of premature death. Dismal reading.

Yeomans, Ellen: Rubber houses [Review of the book Rubber Houses, by E. Yeomans]. (2006). Kirkus Reviews, 74(24), 1275. Retrieved from www.kirkusreviews.com.

Library Use:

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and the library could display this book, along with similar novels, in support of this cause. It could be done in conjunction with a blood drive for the community. Another program could be held during National Poetry Month, held each April. The librarian could read selections from Rubber Houses and students could write responses, or could create Book Spine Poetry in response to selections from Rubber Houses.

Readalikes:

The following books, all written in free verse, could be spotlighted during National Poetry Month. They could also be used for creating Book Spine Poetry as a reflection to the readalouds.

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder
Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
Street Love by Walter Dean Myers
Jinx by Margaret Wild
One Night by Margaret Wild
Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?: a Mystery in Poems by Mel Glenn
Things Left Unsaid by Stephanie Hemphill
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown
What my Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones