Behind the Wheel: Poems About Driving

Learning to drive, crashing, being stopped by a cop, needing a ride, going to a car show, parents as air bags ("in your face") . . . Wong covers these and many more topics in 36 poems about driving as a metaphor for life. Readers will be reminded of their own crazy car-related experiences. 


An ABA "Pick of the Lists" and an ALA/YALSA "Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers," this book is not your grandfather's poetry. A perfect quick read to inspire you to write some poems of your own--either for homework, a poetry contest, or just for yourself.


Wong uses simple, personal free verse to explore the spaces between family and self . . . there are some narrated vignettes and very funny radical suggestions for reshaping the rules of the road. Readers of all ages will be moved by the intersection of poignancy and humor as [Wong] describes the thrilling freedom of the car and an emerging adult's awareness that, although she's traveled, her road still leads to home. --Booklist (starred review)


With keen intensity, Wong tackles every imaginable topic related to driving--backseat romances, white-knuckled grandmothers, dead batteries, car seats, speeding tickets, and even antilock brakes and how to use them. At the heart of these poems are the heartbreaks, hopes, and dreams of the adolescent. --VOYA