Synopses & Reviews
My best friend, Preacher, is being just that. His sermon today is on fathers and I am his congregation.“Dads are light. They have no roots.
One strong wind, and theyre gone.
Out of here. History.”
With a click, a bang, a whisper—or no noise at all. There are so many ways that a door can close, but its not just the closing; its the knowing. And thirteen-year-old CJ knows too much—about losing his father, about his familys pain, and especially about what it means to hold things together when times are the toughest.
In this beautifully written and powerfully moving novel in poems, Hope Anita Smith tells the story of a young mans struggle to accept a father who has walked out on his family. Here, in CJs words, is a portrait of hurt and healing, and finding the strength to open the door again. The Way a Door Closes is the winner of the 2004 Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe New Talent Award and the 2004 Bank Street - Claudia Lewis Award and is a 2004 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Review
“Smith and Evans have created a wonderful way to introduce young readers to the world of poetry.”—
Black Issues Book Review “Hope Smiths voice is vivid and evocative, Im glad her words are in the world.”—Jacqueline Woodson “Good poetry touches the heart, and this offering does just that.”—
School Library Journal, Starred Review “Evanss illustrations are characteristically powerful, the naturalistic renderings carrying great emotion.”—
Kirkus Reviews A Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award Winner
Land of Enchantment Book Award Master Reading List for 2004-2005
A School Library Journal Best Book
Synopsis
An award winning, poignant novel in poems about a family coping with a fathers disappearance
Synopsis
Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe New Talent Award Winner
In this beautifully written and powerfully moving novel in poems, Hope Anita Smith tells the story of a young man's struggle to accept a father who has walked out on his family.
My best friend, Preacher, is being just that. His sermon today is on fathers and I am his congregation.
Dads are light. They have no roots.
One strong wind, and they're gone.
Out of here. History.
With a click, a bang, a whisper--or no noise at all. There are so many ways that a door can close, but it's not just the closing; it's the knowing. And thirteen-year-old CJ knows too much--about losing his father, about his family's pain, and especially about what it means to hold things together when times are the toughest. Here, in CJ's words, is a portrait of hurt and healing, and finding the strength to open the door again.
The Way a Door Closes is the winner of the 2004 Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe New Talent Award and the 2004 Bank Street - Claudia Lewis Award and is a 2004 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
About the Author
HOPE ANITA SMITH didnt want to just tell the story of a father who disappears: “I wanted this story to have a different ending, an ending that proves wrongs can be righted and its never too late to say ‘Im sorry.” A native of Akron, Ohio, Ms. Smith now lives in Los Angeles, California. This is her first book for young readers.
SHANE W. EVANS has illustrated several highly regarded books for children, including Down the Winding Road and Osceola: Memories of a Sharecroppers Daughter, for which he received a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor. His artwork has been exhibited in Paris, Chicago, New York, and West Africa. A native of Upstate New York, Mr. Evans currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri.