What a great adaptation of the original story! Written in prose, and illustrated in green, black, and white only; this book tackles deep themes of life. Kwame Alexander knocked it out of the park again, and I expect this to be in many middle grade libraries!

Kwame Alexander does it again with this masterful follow-up to The Crossover. Alexander paints a nuanced, beautiful picture of a pre-teen’s life. The graphics complement the story, and Alexander’s words engage the reader.

I really enjoyed the graphic novel adaptation of Booked. The language and themes make this appropriate more for 6th grade and up classroom. Mr. Mac the school librarian is my favorite, but I think there are characters that relate to most middle school students.

I liked this book--not as much as Kwama Alexander's book "The Crossover" but it was still great.

What I loved:
The story was interesting, the poetry was dynamic and accessible (even for me!), and I liked the themes in this book. There was such fun wordplay and I love how discovering a love for reading was an important theme in the book. The graphics in the novel didn't detract from the poetry itself so I felt like it kept a very natural flow, but they also brought the characters to life in a way that the poetry itself might not for some.

What was ok:
I didn't, however, feel like the graphic aspect of this added a ton of worthwhile stuff, but I think because of it, it might aid in helping younger readers discover a love for reading.

Final thoughts and who this book is for:
Overall, I really like Kwame's poetry and his middle-grade reads. This book is perfect for those reluctant readers who are a lot like our main character Nick and for those who want to have a better understanding and grasp of poetry.

This book is just as fabulous as it's printed counterpart. The graphics were done creatively and the story was told through pictures and through words. I really appreciate the book in graphic novel format.

Unfortunately, I could not open this book on NetGalley, I could only download the cover. This may have been a glitch but, after contacting NetGalley, I still couldn’t resolve the issue. So sorry, as this looks perfect for the age I teach. Thank you in any case.

Alexander does not disappoint with this graphic novel adaptation of his highly rated novel. I loved absolutely everything about this book. It just...knocks you down and rips your heart out.

This book hits on just about every middle grade theme—first love, bullying, deciding how smart to act, family difficulties, and sports—all with great graphic novel elements and good writing.

Booked transforms the novel in verse to a graphic novel. The novel comes alive in pictures. The graphic novel follows a consistent color scheme of black, white, and green. After reading both versions, I prefer the novel in verse. The graphic novel appeared wordy and lengthy. At times it was also hard to distinguish who was talking. However, I feel that both versions have a place in the school library.

First, I have to say, I love Kwame Alexander’s books. He has an incredible ability to tell a heartfelt and gripping story through the tight restraints of poetry. He is a master of words. Alexander’s skill at poetic story telling still shines through the graphic novel version of his book...
However, as much as I enjoyed reading this version of Booked, it wasn’t as powerful as other books I’ve read by Alexander. Booked offered so much to think about and work through, but it was missing that extra something that I’ve felt in his non-graphic novels. I think the problem is with me, though. As much as I enjoyed the graphics, I found them a bit distracting, and at one point the image shown didn’t correspond with the words on the page (ie. knee grabbing in the movie theatre). I enjoyed the story but would probably have enjoyed the traditional format better.
That being said, I can see this graphic novel connecting with many young readers and being the door leads those readers to discover more of Alexander’s amazing stories.
Thank you NetGalley for a free digital version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley

Nick is a 12 year old who loves soccer and hates reading, despite being assigned to read his dad's dictionary every night. When his parents announce their separation and his best friend starts playing for a rival soccer team, Nick knows his year can't get any worse. Through an unexpected new friendship and a push from his rapping school librarian, Nick learns some lessons about life.

Booked as a graphic novel is a great addition for students who loved the verse novel as well as The Crossover. This version adds to the original making it a great option for comparison assignments.

I am grateful to the publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy of Booked. The graphic novel version was outstanding and will inspire even more kids to read this story!

I am so excited to share with my students that I have read the latest from Kwame Alexander. I simply cannot keep any of his books on our shelves in the library, and this one will be no different. I love that his novels are becoming graphic novels,. It will be ordered as soon as it is available for our school library!
Thank you to NetGalley and Etch/Clarion Books for this eARC

The graphic novelization of Kwame Alexander's Booked had so much going on that I'm not sure each individual issue had enough resolution. In attempting to address a myriad of problems that a preteen may face, the story loses some of its momentum. The illustrations were wonderful, though the female love interest looked the same age as the mother. Overall I think young people will enjoy this version of the book, but it left me feeling like I'd just run a race of hurdles trying to keep up with all the plot threads.

Just like the graphic novel adaptation for Crossover, kids are sure to pick this one up and love it. Great layout!

Booked by Kwame Alexander is just another wonderful, relatable story for all kids to read. The graphic novel format allows for Kwame's story to be enjoyed by all types of readers. Soccer player, Nick, is faced with dealing with many challenges that our kids deal with in real life...bullying, relationships, and home challenges. I am sure that anyone who reads this book will enjoy it.

“𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄, 𝑵𝒊𝒄𝒌. 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆.”

What business do I have reading a graphic novel in June that doesn’t come out until January 2022? I was too excited to check this one out. Booked is a graphic adaptation of Kwame Alexander’s 2016 National Book Award Long List nominee.

Nick Hall loves soccer and hates reading. Nick’s father is a linguistics professor and has him read his dictionary each night to build his vocabulary. But that’s not Nick’s only problem: he wrestles with problems at home, deals with bullies, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Will Nick discover the power of words, and how they can help solve his problems?

I loved this book - it’s quick paced, well-plotted, and emotional. Not having read the original book, this story was all new to me; it is written in free verse poetry, and I loved the flow of the text. I also adored how the text adds to how interesting this book is to read; the words are not set up like a typical graphic novel with a traditional comic book layout. The use of new words was really cool (like mewling or limerence), and the fun footnotes that explain them and how Nick gets caught up in the love of books, saying that sometimes they stay slow but then you "𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒑𝒖𝒕𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.”

I will definitely be on the lookout for the original novel, along with Alexander’s The Crossover (in novel and graphic novel form). Booked is a great story for middle schoolers about the power of language, the thrills and setbacks of life, soccer, family, love, and friendship. Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt & NetGalley for the ARC!

I was unable to read this book as the copy that I downloaded appeared damaged. I tried clearing it, downloading a new copy after a few days, but to no avail. I have not had this problem with any of the other digital copies I've downloaded from NetGalley before or after this, so it appears to be this particular book. I read the novel and have it in our middle school media center (along with The Crossover and many other Kwame Alexander books) and was looking forward to previewing this one.

Leave it to Kwame Alexander to hit a homerun with this graphic novel, or maybe it is a "goal"! It is hard to understand that what your parents think is good for you (but you hate) can actually make your life better. Nick hates reading his father's dictionary and would rather play real soccer or XBox soccer. When his parents separate, Nick falls into a tailspin. With the help of friends, soccer, a fantastic "rapping" librarian, and powerful words, he begins to see that his life can go on even if things are different.

Another great adaption of Kwame Alexander’s book. It’s a good introduction and hook for people who may not be readers of novels in verse.