Parents' Guide to

For Every One

By Darienne Stewart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Bold, blunt encouragement for dreamers pulls no punches.

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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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Kids hear lots of sunny platitudes about believing in their dreams, but Jason Reynolds gets honest in his book-length poem: Chasing dreams can be hard, lonely, confusing, infuriating -- and worth it. He describes For Every One as a letter he began writing years ago for himself, riddled with self-doubt and frustration. Now a successful author, Reynolds (As Brave As You) still isn't convinced he's "made it," but he's learned that feeling the passion is more important than the destination.

Reynolds writes vividly, using rich similes to describe his dream as a rabid beast that infected him in one section, and in another comparing it to a colicky baby: "Sometimes I think/ it needs to be changed./ Usually it just/ needs to be fed./ So I feed it everything/ I have./ And/ it feeds me everything/ I have." He may not have easy answers, but he has generous compassion fellow travelers will treasure.

Book Details

  • Author: Jason Reynolds
  • Genre: Poetry
  • Topics: Adventures
  • Book type: Non-Fiction
  • Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
  • Publication date: April 10, 2018
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 18
  • Number of pages: 112
  • Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
  • Last updated: April 10, 2018

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