Great read! The style is simple, but with powerful emotions that shine through. Teen love stories can get stale quickly, but I appreciated the unconventional way of finding relationship advice and they candid conversations about feelings that set this story apart.

Anything and everything by Kwame Alexander is amazing and Swing was no exception. I absolutely adore Alexander's writing style. The way he makes characters come to life and jump off the page (generally doing some type of sports move) is amazing and unparalleled. I can't wait to read more by Kwame Alexander. The students love his writing as well.

This book tore my heart out. Kwame does such beautiful things with verse, sports, music, friendship and love. Every book he writes feels as if the voice is a living, breathing student I could teach. Kwame gets it. He gets people and he gets life. This, with its interwoven jazz greats and pop culture allusions, feels like it will be one that speaks of our tumultuous time for generations.

Read this. Then read everything else Kwame has written. Seriously.

Excellent! This story was wonderful. I need to go back and read the other one now, since I really enjoyed getting to know the characters.

Alexander and Hess have done it again! Swing's rhythmic, energetic, heart wrenching story leaves not other option than to keep turning the page. This is the perfect pick for a hip hop or baseball loving lifelong or reluctant reader.

Swing
Wow.
Poetry with guts, sensitivity, and purpose at a time when so many things are far from copacetic. This #HugLife "movement" is one lodestar for the generation. Take Kwame Alender/Mary Rand Hess' "Swing" and "The Hate You Give" by Angie Thomas into every home, every classroom, every teen organization, every heart--and right America's wrongs lovingly. 5+-star.

I usually love Alexander’s books and certainly I liked parts of this title, too but overall this story didn’t hook me with the characters or the plot. Not to mention the ending!!! It really came out of nowhere and felt random, (And confusing and heartbreaking.)

Every Kwame Alexander book is a work of art. This one is no different. He is a master at creating characters that we grow to love and care about. His voice resonates with readers of today.

The poetic rhythm and the figurative language in this story are amazing. It was so enjoyable to read all of the fun facts and allusions that are included. The combination of jazz, baseball, and poetry made for a fascinating mix in this story of friendship and love. However, the overall story is one that is tough for me to review because I just don't feel I'm the right audience. There was too much love story, or more accurately the story of a lovesick teenage boy, for me to completely enjoy the center section of this book, but the end came through in an unexpectedly powerful way.

This may be Kwame's most "current" book- loved the characters, their relationships, and the Woohoo Sisters!

4.5 stars!

"Swing" takes readers on a poetic journey of love, loss, and jazz. High school is notoriously rough; teenagers search for love, acceptance, identity, and security all while navigating the precarious whims of popular culture.

Best friends, Walt (a.k.a. "Swing") and Noah have a friendship that defies the lackluster odds. For better or worse, they have each others' back. Walt's success is a victory for Noah, while Noah's heartbreak cuts right to the core of Walt, as well. I loved the ways these two friends pushed each other to take risks, to pursue their dreams, and to be the best versions of themselves.

Authors Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess packed a whole lot of important stuff within the pages of this book. Themes such as post-traumatic stress disorder, violence, friendship, romance, patriotism, and identity are interwoven throughout its poetic verses. In their own authentic style, Alexander and Hess expose readers to the issues of today through the beauty of art. Reading their work is more than just sitting down with a good book; through poetry, jazz music, and tactile creation they've orchestrated an experience. An experience that changes minds, transforms hearts, and compels readers to talk about important topics and to open dialogues in their communities about things that matter.

It's difficult to review a book like "Swing" because it's one that just begs to be read and experienced by each and every person. It's a novel in verse for everyone. Also, it's challenging to talk about it without spoiling essential aspects of the experience. Take my advice: pick up "Swing" for yourself, read it, experience it, then come back and we can chat (or rant, rave, and exclaim really loudly together). You won't regret it.

This review will be posted on my blog, The Novel Endeavor, on the publication date, October 2.

The story starts out with Noah (the narrator) and his best friend Swing, who recently renamed himself due to his destined greatness in baseball, as well as his passion for jazz music. In their town, flags are mysteriously popping up, and we aren’t sure why. Taking a knee for the National Anthem comes up, and an African American boy is accused of placing the flags, and the police interaction frightens the characters in the book, making the reader think maybe it is related to current events. That is one motif in the story. Another is the romantic relationships and heartache. Noah and Swing have a best friend named Sam, and Noah begins sending her pieces of art anonymously. She begins to realize her boyfriend isn’t all that great, which is good news for Noah. Much like Alexander’s Solo, there are many stories within this story, and our protagonist goes on a journey with heartache and self-discovery, he faces a major life-changing incident, and then his life is changed because of it. However, despite the many clues, the life-changing incident isn’t as predictable as I thought.

What I liked about this book is that it has strong characters with real emotions. Swing is almost older than he actually is, though. His faults almost aren’t real faults at all. I think that’s on purpose. Noah, obviously, would be more relatable, being the main character, and we feel his heartache and depression. Unfortunately, his pain goes way deeper than I hope I’ll ever be able to relate to. I also appreciated that this book is relevant to today. Alexander is calling for change, gently opening our eyes to a reality in a less obvious way than Dear Martin or The Hate U Give (two awesome books that I highly recommend for older students) or Ghost Boys (great for middle grade).

Fans of Kwame Alexander's previous works will not be disappointed with his latest addition to YA Literature. Packed with beautiful verse, Swing is sure to be a hit with students. Additionally, the diverse cast makes it a perfect fit for any classroom library.

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars and decided on the higher rating because the writing of Alexander and Hess is so strong. The voice of Noah, struggling to define himself and the relationships around him, was realistic and unique, and it's hard not to love Walt, his best friend, so well-meaning in a geeky, bumbling way. I love that he found a girl who loved him just as he was. The plot itself left too many gaps for me, and the ending also felt unresolved. I wanted to know a bit more about "the after" of the final climatic event. That said, I do still highly recommend Swing, just for the joy of meeting Noah and Walt. Review based on an ARC from NetGalley.

CW: [PTSD (scenes with a character exhibiting symptoms thereof) (hide spoiler)]

I've been reading a lot more novels in verse this year, the latest of which is Swing by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess. I first learned of this writing duo through their previous book, Solo, and was pleased when I got the chance to joined the #SwingLaunchTeam. It's been a real treat getting to learn about the book, hearing what other members of the #swingbook launch team have thought about it, and now getting to share my personal reading experience with all of you.

The friendship trio showcased in Swing is classic. Noah, Walt, and Sam's friendship was so strong in middle school, then came to face the challenges of high school and the changes that test the ties that bound them together. New things rise up and make you question what's important now, who is going to remain in your life, whether the old is going to stand the test of time or if it's going to give way for something different. It can be sad but it can also be normal. Noah observing all this in verse, telling us what's happening to his friends, brings up memories of the past for readers while we're living in his present, waiting to see what it turns into.

"I WILL make the varsity baseball team senior year. Bet on that. I’ll practice harder than before. Work out harder. Get ripped. Give the whole of my heart and soul to the glove and the ball."


Walt, a.k.a. Swing, was such an enthusiastic character. He was always talking to Noah, the main voice of the novel, the "I", about his philosophy of life called cool. Walt's dreams extend beyond cool, though. He loves a lot more and his passion show through in how he lives every day to the fullest, how he espouses what he calls Hug Life. Baseball, for example: it's about so much more than loving the game, the players. It's the intricacies, being in the moment, feeling it inside. He doesn't see not being on the team right now as a letdown. Baseball doesn't ever let him down. It's his future, one way or the other.

"Abandoning the traditional major and minor key relationships of tonality, Miles based the entire album on modality. It was a remarkable, landmark album that shaped the future of modern music. It was improvisation, but each of the performers was given a set of scales that defined the parameters of their improvisation."


There was a lot about music and the depths of emotion that it could stir, particularly when a character named Divya appears as a love interest for Walt/Swing. Noah makes this real soulful connection to music that feels beautiful, almost like a camera panning an especially well lit scene in a film with the perfect soundtrack.

The scene, the beginning of something for Divya and Walt as quoted above, was one of my favorite scenes. It's easy to picture them in this crowded thrift shop where Divya worked, Noah in the background observing their story just starting, and different records being played.

Noah has his own love story to work on throughout the book: whether to act on a crush, whether to confess, whether to EMBRACE LIFE in the words of his best friend. It's a confusing time and it's something that could be relatable, even if it's not specifically about a crush. Noah's nerves were for sure something that could be applied to a few different situations, especially for readers that are his peers.

"Looks pretty safe to me. This is a nice neighborhood. Yeah, pretty safe for YOU, but I’m a black kid walking up and down the street with a baseball glove. At three am. In the middle of nowhere. You do that math, Noah."


Among the changes of teenage friendships and trying to figure out a crush, there's also an interaction between Walt & Noah when Walt calls Noah for a ride home. It's summed up in this quote and shows how different their world views are, how some things don't even register to Noah while Walt has them in at the forefront every moment.

It wasn't always easy to understand who was talking while reading this book because in verse as opposed to narrative, there were no tags, no names coming out at the end of the sentences. The voices really have to stand out on their own so the reader can identify the different characters. Sometimes Walt/Swing and Noah blended a little too much and made the text confusing.

Swing had a lot of imagery that went from words and translated to visual and auditory imaginings, something I appreciated because it made the book even more of an experience. Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess have created another book that in verse is something that can be consumed either with speed, easily, but also slowly, to be savored while picking up all the nuances with each verse.

I can't even tell you guys how excited I was to get an ARC of this one. I ADORE Kwame Alexander's work, and I wasn't disappointed.

Swing is one part romance, one part coming-of-age, one part social commentary. (Although it's a little heavy on the romance and light on the commentary.) Our narrator, Noah, is in love with his best friend--but she has a boyfriend. He loves art and baseball and his kooky friend Walt (aka Swing), who always seems to get them into crazy situations. I loved watching Noah's story progress, and Alexander's poetry is--as always--a fantastic mix that sometimes hits you hard like rap and sometimes eases into your blood like Jazz.

My only complaint is the abruptness of the ending. Most of the book is about Noah and Sam's non-relationship and Swing's crazy plan to find "cool". Then all of a sudden there seems to be a new focus and we (as readers) are not afforded much time to make the switch or deal with the emotional repercussions. If it was intentional and we were meant to feel uncomfortable, okay--but this felt more like an entire story was told only to have another one crammed in at the end. And while I LIKED both stories, I felt like the second one didn't get near the attention it should have.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. Walt Disney Jones has to be one of my favorite recent characters I've encountered. (For some reason, I pictured him as Kenan Thompson, one of my favorite actors.) Using the title and nickname of "Swing" is so appropriate. In the same day, I read two books that did not use quotation marks to delineate speakers, and I found myself re-reading several times to get straight who said what; maybe the fact that this was an ARC affected that. As others have mentioned, I felt the end was a bit rushed, but perhaps that is part of the point. I feel like I missed why Sam made a certain decision near the end, and the character of Moses was a bit underdeveloped as well. I do not want to spoil the plot for anyone, but I will say that there is no language that some might object to in this book, so it might be deemed appropriate for younger audiences than some books with a similar topic.

Swing is a charming and delightful tale. The ending touches on issues that are very much in the forefront of today's world. This would be a good book for teen book discussion groups. The topics are timely and would generate a lot of conversation.

Have you ever been best friends with someone but you really want to move past the friend zone into something more? Noah, Walt, and Sam have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Noah has feelings for Sam that go way past the best friend zone, but Sam only has eyes for the star baseball player (even though he treats her bad). To help move Noah and Sam's relationship on, Walt takes Noah to see the guru of love, his cousin Floyd who works at the Dairy Queen. Floyd helps produce a podcast called "WhooHoo Woman", a podcast in which two women give advice on how to treat a lady. What really turns all of their lives around is when Noah and Walt go to the local thrift store to buy a present for his mom's birthday. The girl behind the counter, Divya, helps Noah pick out a vintage purse and Walt falls instantly in love with her. What comes as a total surprise is when Noah finds a bunch of love letters from a man named Corinthian to the love of his life, Annemarie written back in the 1960s. While Noah is pouring over these letters, Walt is trying to get back on the baseball team in which he has given himself the nickname, Swing. These letters give Noah the courage to come out in the open to Sam about his feelings. Everything comes to a head one night at a party at Noah's house. Will Sam be able to cross that friend zone into something more with Noah? Will Noah's confession of love ruin a lifelong friendship? Will Walt ever make it back onto the baseball team before he graduates? This is a must read book of love, loss, friendship, and music. Do not miss this one!!

Kwame and Mary are an incredible writing duo. Kwame's books are written in verse form and the rhythm just flows throughout the whole book. This book will have you laughing and crying and cheering on each character as they go through different situations in their life. I was only a few pages into this book and I wanted to be friends with these characters so bad. You are just drawn into their world and when the story is over these characters still have your heart. Do not miss one of Kwame's best books yet (I have to say "one of" because all of his books are the bomb!!).

I'm having a very hard time deciding what to say about this book. I loved Kwame Alexander's middle-grade books, and his is the author that finally got me to read books in verse. I felt the writing in this one was a bit too disjointed and I often had trouble knowing which character was speaking, which made it confusing and frustrating.

It almost seemed like someone took the beginning and middle of one book, and put it together with the ending. Most of the book is about Noah being in love with his best friend Samantha for years, and never being able to tell her. Then that story is just abruptly ended, in a very unsatifying and unrealistic way, and out of nowhere Noah's friend Walt's brother Mo shows up with PTSD, which leads to tragedy. In my opinion. these should've been 2 separate books. It just seems like two ideas were crammed together, which made for a very frustrating and disappointing finish.

Also, I know it's an important issue, but does every book about African-American teens have to involve a main character being killed in a police shooting? I feel like I've read the same story over and over the last few years, and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon because it's a hot topic and guaranteed to sell. There have to be other stories to tell, and it presents a distorted reality to keep telling the same one over and over, and make the book too predictable. After reading so many with the same message and so many similarities, it gets harder and harder to appreciate them and not feel numb and emotionally fatigued.