Karen's Ghost by Ann M Martin

Karen's Ghost by Ann M Martin

Now that my past is longer than my future, / I feel a diminishment inside my body. / Like in an overcoat, my arms are lost in the vastness of its sleeves. In Remembrance, Frank Varela poignantly writes about the longing for loved ones--Aunt Consuelo, Doa Simona, Don Benacio--who are all spirits now. He hears them gossiping in the kitchen, sipping coffee and eating pastries. Their ghosts are a comfort, he writes, So why then do their faces / blur in my memory?

In this collection of 55 poems, Varela writes about growing up Puerto Rican in Brooklyn, noting that there are two types of Puerto Ricans: those born on the island, / others like me, / the children of exiles. Pondering the universal sentiment of immigrant children, he notes that he was considered a spic in the United States and a gringo in the land of his parent's birth. All I wanted was the impossible: / To be the who I am in a land / unafraid of the me I have become.

Like his grandfather who cleared ten acres in Cibuco, Puerto Rico, to wrench subsistence from red clay, Varela loves the land and what it provides. The land is rich with decay and past seasons. / On my best days, I can reach into the soil / and marry my soul with the green world-- / tarragon, escarole, lemon balm, sage. Expressing love and appreciation for his Puerto Rican family and culture, Varela's poems reflect on the universal joys and pains of everyday life. This collection contains a mix of previously published and new poems that offers a survey of the poet's work from 1988 to the present.

Ann M. Martin is the author of many novels, including A Corner of the Universe, winner of the Newbery Honor, and Everything for a Dog, which has sold over 90,000 copies. Ann lives in upstate New York with her beloved dog, Sadie, and several rescued cats. Jon Muth has written and illustrated many acclaimed picture books including his Caldecott Honor title, Zen Shorts, and The Three Questions, a New York Times bestseller. He lives in New York State with his wife and four children. Mark Teague has written and illustrated books including the popular Pigsty, Baby Tamer, and One Halloween Night. He lives in Austerlitz, New York, with his wife and two daughters. Margarita Engle is a Cuban American poet, novelist, and journalist whose work has been published in many countries. She is the author of young adult nonfiction books and novels in verse including The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor Book, The Poet Slave of Cuba, Hurricane Dancers, The Firefly Letters, and Tropical Secrets. She lives in northern California. Thacher Hurd is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including Bongo Fishing, Mama Don't Allow and Art Dog. He lives in Berkeley, California. Valerie Hobbs is the recipient of the 1999 PEN/Norma Klein Award, a biennial prize that recognizes an emerging voice of literary merit among American writers of children's fiction. She is the author of young adult and middle-grade novels including Sheep, Defiance, Anything but Ordinary, and The Last Best Days of Summer. She holds a B.A. and an M.A. in English from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she has taught academic writing. Valerie lives in Santa Barbara, California, with her husband. Matt de la Pena's books for young adults include Mexican WhiteBoy, We Were Here and I Will Save You. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Pam Munoz Ryan has written over thirty books, including the award winning Esperanza Rising, Riding Freedom, and The Dreamer. She lives in North Dan Diego County with her family. Wendy Orr has written more than two dozen children's books, including the Rainbow Street Shelter series, Mokie and Bik, Ark in the Park, and Nim's Island. She lives with her family in Australia, near the sea. Olga and Alekesey Ivanov have illustrated the Charlotte's Web and Harry Cat and Tucker Mouse beginning readers' series for Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, as well as any others. They live in Denver, Colorado.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780590436496
ISBN 10	059043649X
Title	Karen's Ghost
Author	Ann M Martin
Series	Little Apple Paperbacks
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Scholastic US
Year published	1990-10-01
Number of pages	101
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.