Summary (from Goodreads):

Solo, a YA novel in poetic verse, tells the story of seventeen-year-old Blade Morrison, whose life is bombarded with scathing tabloids and a father struggling with just about every addiction under the sun—including a desperate desire to make a comeback. Haunted by memories of his mother and his family’s ruin, Blade’s only hope is in the forbidden love of his girlfriend. But when he discovers a deeply protected family secret, Blade sets out on a journey across the globe that will change everything he thought to be true.



My Thoughts:

Let me just say that I loved everything about this book – the cover, the characters, the mode of writing.

Blade is a character that many readers will find pieces of themselves. He is full of so much heart, so much hope, with sprinkles of sadness. His character reminds me of the journey we are all on, a journey to find out who we are and what we bring to the world. He is looking for meaning. That’s not too much to ask, right?

As I read this book, I felt Blade down in my soul. It’s not a feeling easy to describe, but there were many moments where I felt so connected to him as a character that it changed my interaction with the text.

The development of the characters is spot on. We are learning about Blade – who he is, where he comes from, what those things mean to him – but the other characters stay in the background. This is important for Blade and his story; the focus is right where it needs to be at all times. It keeps the story moving.

With every choice of word, Alexander is moving the story forward. Some books can get bogged down in too many details and too many characters. The choice of poetic verse for this story was the right choice because it allows the flow of the story to mirror what is most important to Blade (and to his family)—music.

This is a melody on the page.

His journey of self-discovery and making peace with himself after a family secret was revealed was the most powerful part of the story for me.

This was a book that I closed and hugged and said, “Wow. That was awesome. The kids are going to love it.”

As soon as this book hit the book store shelf, I purchased a copy for the library, and it hasn’t remained on the shelf since I catalogued it.

The right book at the right time is powerful to teens, and Solo will be that book for so many.

Add it to your TBR pile if you haven’t already.

Happy Reading!

- The Hodgenator

This book is the epitome of why everyone should read middle grade. And the irony of that is that this book is not middle grade. It’s young adult.

Let me explain, because some might consider calling something middle grade when it’s technically young adult a downgrade. It’s not.

The best kind of middle grade books — the ones I stand on soapboxes for or talk about while gesticulating wildly — deal with questions of identity, belonging, and purpose in the same way many books not written specifically for adults do, but without the grit that novels written for older audiences have. And they incorporate humor and sweetness and vulnerability in a way that makes the book accessible.

Of course, the minute you make a definition like that, you can think of ten ways to debunk it. But that’s a start. The conversation about what defines middle grade is ongoing. Age? Well, it’s like sort of grades 4-8, depending on who you ask. Topics? Pretty much anything a kid could deal with during that time. Young adult is a little easier to pin down (though, yes, yes, there are titles that branch out): themes of love, angst, what’s next, family issues, and of course, sex, drugs, rock-n-roll, etc.

It’s the feel of a book that makes it middle grade, in my definition. And since this is MY post, I get to say that. If it feels like it’s offering an open look at what it means to become yourself and figure out friendships and get your locker open, it’s probably middle grade.

Synopsis: Blade Morrison, son of Rutherford Morrison, rock star with a failure to rehab, is in love and about to graduate high school. He wants to break free of his father’s long, infamous shadow, not only for himself but also because his girl’s parents disapprove of him because of it. Graduation was supposed to be a shining moment for him, but his dad ruins that. And when trials with his girl come up and he learns some life-changing information (IT IS SO HARD FOR ME TO NOT SPOIL THIS FOR YOU – JUST FORGIVE THE VAGUE LANGUAGE), Blade leaves home to see if home will follow him or if he’ll find it when he gets there.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I came into it after absolutely loving Booked, particularly the singular style of the prose mixed with the poetry. How often do you find accessible, beautiful, evocative poetry in a coming-of-age novel written for young people? Also, poetry that fits the youth of today, not stuffy, not stylized beyond understanding, but good nevertheless.

Also, I am rarely surprised when reading middle grade. Not that it’s predictable, but you usually have a general sense of how things are going to go and how they will end. You know you’ll get a tidy ending, for the most part. And you know there will be clear lessons learned along the way.

Perhaps this is what sets Solo apart as more of a young adult title, but the ambiguity and nuance of the way the story progressed (which also took a detour that fit but was also surprising) as Blade asked questions of himself and the people he considered closest to him — just phenomenal.

Recommended for: all who like a story with depth and heart that asks hard questions and may not answer them all in a clear cut way. Librarians, teachers, parents, students, adults with no direct connection to this world of middle grade literature, if you liked Booked or The Crossover, you will not be disappointed with Solo! (Heck, even if you have no idea who Kwame Alexander is and haven’t read either of those, you’ll probably like it.)

Well written for junior high and high schoolers. Students, who have previously enjoyed this author's work will again be pleased with this book. Loved that it was about finding oneself. Appreciated the change in writing style towards the middle of the book. Great book! Can't wait to put it on my shelves for my students!

The subject of this book is a great fit for a verse novel, based on music and internal struggle. And as much as Blade is not relatable on the surface, his struggle for identity apart from his parents is near universal. The plot takes us across the world yet in entirely expected directions. Still, the writing style is engaging enough to keep us reading. I liked the directions it did take and would easily recommend this to teens looking for a casual read.

I actually read this book twice and not because I loved it. I did not remember reading it until I was about halfway through the book the second time. I wanted to love this book by Kwame Alexander because I loved sharing his middle grade books with my students. This book was just too disjointed. In my opinion he should have stayed with just the one story line and not jump all of the world. The story was not relatable and though some of the individual verses were memorable, overall it did not impress or leave a lasting memory.

A fabulous book about family, love, and loss. A true journey of the heart.

The answer is “Yes.” Kwame Alexander told the crowd at the Kaigler Book Festival to say “yes” to life. In his new young adult book Solo with Mary Rand Hess, he tells his protagonist Blade Morrison the same thing.

It seems that life has thrown Blade more curves than anyone deserves. His mother died. His father is working to reclaim his status as a musician. His girlfriend’s father has forbidden their relationship because of his father’s reputation for abusing drugs and alcohol. He has a chance to make a positive name for himself when the valedictorian of his high school class has to bow out, and he stands in for her as the salutatorian. His father ruins the evening by roaring onto the football field and into the front of the stage on a red Harley with a scantily dressed woman.

Twisting through the relationships with his father who bounces in and out of rehab, his girlfriend who must be kept secret, and his sister who mediates makes one think life can’t get any worse. But that is before the big family secret sends him on a trek to Ghana. Blade’s own music and that of his favorites woven into the verse novel keep him anchored for a while until he even loses faith in his music.

I saw a quote from Kwame Alexander before I read this young adult novel which could lend itself to some pretty salty language as Blade copes with his challenges. He said he told kids they didn’t need to curse so he took his own advice. Since that language pervades today’s YA literature, I wondered if he could pull off a heartrending story without it. I’ll go back to my beginning and repeat my first sentence. The answer is “Yes.”

Kwame Alexander never fails to disappoint. His ability to get a well-rounded, quality story in a short amount of pages is phenomenal. I love books about the personal journey of the main character, and while I think some of the parts of the story, especially set in Ghana, may be a little far-fetched, I think the overall point of the story, of family was hit!

Solo is Alexander's latest novel in verse about Blade, a talented rocker from a musical family who misses his mother and resents his alcoholic father. One night, after a painful family argument some facts about his identity are revealed. Blades new revelation take him to Ghana in search of his heritage but ultimately, the young man finds much more.

This book was just okay for me. It didn't hit me like some of Alexander's other novels, but I think there's a lot in this story to unpack. It's a solid novel that I think a lot of teens will like.

Love these books something different from the run of the mill

Another sensational work by Kwame Alexander. Solo has heart and soul!

Blade Morrison is set to graduate high school and head off to college in the fall. He is in love with Chapel, whose parents hate Blade because of his lifestyle. Blade is the son of a fallen rock star who is addicted to anything and everything. He promises to get clean, but those promises never stick. Blade's mom died when he was younger and it has just been him, his sister Storm and their dad for several years. Things come to a head when dad ruins Blade's graduation, he finds Chapel with another boy and he learns he is adopted. His world crashes around him and sends him off to Africa to find his birth mother. Ghana is nothing like he expected and he finds a sort of peace there. And then his dad arrives and Blade is forced into trying to figure out how to deal with everything all at once.

This novel in verse is a powerful story about a young man yearning for stability and peace in his life and finding little of both. He has been dealt some heavy blows and has to find a way to cope. I thought all his trials and tribulations were handled very well. Blade doesn't always handle them well, but his reactions are very realistic. I loved his journey to Africa and how living there contrasted so much with his lifestyle in Hollywood. I also thought the invasion of his dad really did a great job of showing how disruptive Americans can be on native cultures. While the book didn't not have a necessarily happy ending, it had a hopeful one which I think is the best we could have wished for Blade.

I received this book from Netgalley.

Kwame Alexander did not disappoint! I can hardly keep his other books on my shelves because my eighth graders are constantly checking them out--I anticipate this one will be devoured as well! I love the themes of love, loss, and identity that are developed throughout the book...this makes it extremely relatable to both teens and "tweens." I can see this book being appealing to some of my more reluctant readers because it is written in verse; this makes the text less overwhelming and helps them to focus more on the story than how much is printed on a page. I also really appreciated the rhythm and pace of Blade's story. A great way to show kids that poetry isn't all that different lyrics to a song!

Loved the story and the music element! Story will appeal to those who love music and family ties!

The first thing that has to be pointed out is how Kwame Alexander told this story – through poetry, through lyrics, through reflection on the words of other great rock ‘n’ roll songs. It’s wonderfully unique and makes for a fantastic read – not to mention, it fits the story and adds to it in the most fantastic way.

Blade works through his emotions with music and so it makes sense that a story of his journey, from his point of view, would use poetry to tell the events. Alexander’s work is beautifully written and is so easy to sink in to, to get lost in.

I thought The Crossover was fantastic and was excited to read this book by Kwame Alexander. I did enjoy this one, but it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I loved the musical aspects and appreciated the writing style that used a mix of content in verse to provide the details of the story, from narration, to text messages, to song lyrics, to dreams. However, this story was just a little too all over the place for me. There were so many things creating conflict and leading in different directions so that the pieces did not come together to feel complete at the end of the book. I would recommend this book for teenage readers with an interest in novels in verse and music.

I got hooked pretty quickly and it was a whirlwind of emotions. There's a lot embedded in this story about love and loss, grief and hope, longing and wonder.

Solo, Kwame Alexander's latest novel-in-verse, introduces 17-year-old Blade, whose drug addicted rock star father has provided a glamorous lifestyle that is filled with turmoil since Blade's mother died. When Dad derails Blade's commencement speech, he decides to hit the road with his girlfriend Chapel, whose parents disapprove of him. However, before Blade can convince her to leave with him, he catches Chapel with another guy and his sister hits him with a bombshell. Blade is adopted. He revises his plans and determines to find his birth mother, which leads him to Konko, Ghana, where his mother does charity work. There he finds not only his roots, but also a new perspective on family. Blades' original rock ballads are scattered throughout the novel, giving it a lyrical quality readers will enjoy.

Solo is a novel written in poetic verse. I don't know if that's genius or completely cheating. This was my first experience with Kwame Alexander and I understand that's this whole thing. Taking on a novel written in such a way allows the reader access to some thoughts of the main character that can be lost when written in a traditional style, but I think we lose out on a lot too. The story was really good and tugged at the heartstrings. I can definitely see the easy reading style being popular with the intended audience (it's a YA book) and it makes for a relatively quick read. I give a solid 3.5 stars. Could be better but was still done incredibly well.