Poetry by Kids - Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage Girls

1. Bibliographic Citation

Franco, Betsy. 2001. Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage Girls. Cambridge: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763610357 

2. Summary and Review

Things I Have to Tell You is a collection of poetry and some prose written by teenage girls and compiled by Betsy Franco. The majority of the book is free verse poetry but some poems rhyme. The topics of the poetry range from body image issues to family issues to drug abuse to relationships and sex. The writing is raw and represents a variety of cultures and races. There are several poems by 16 year-old Miriam Stone, one of the strongest writers in my opinion. Her poem “To Live” illustrates the struggle of a teenage girl to make it through high school while trying to realize her true self. 15 year-old Lisa Woodward’s “My Ode to Crank” eloquently paints a real life picture of drug addiction. Nina Nickels’s unposed black and white photos were not taken to illustrate the individual poems but lend realness to the words. Teenage girls will see themselves in these poems and realize they are not alone in their feelings and struggles. Below is an excerpt of one of my favorite poems in the collection, Miriam Stone’s “A Bad Hair Day.”  

A Bad Hair Day

The day I met you was a bad hair day.

This one piece of hair

Just wouldn’t stay!

You must have noticed,

You must have seen,

Because although you weren’t rude,

And although you weren’t mean,

You were just a little distant,

Your mind another place,

You weren’t interested in me,

I could see it in your face.

***

It’s scary to me

That my future could lay

On one piece of hair

That just wouldn’t stay.

3. Awards/Reviews

*YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2002

*Young Adults’ Choices, 2003

*Positive reviews in Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, and School Library Journal

4. Activities

We have all had that pesky bad hair day. I love Miriam Stone’s tongue-in-cheek poem that blames her bad hair day on not getting the guy. What else can we blame a bad hair day for? After reading this poem, students can brainstorm a variety of things that could be blamed on a bad hair day. Students can write a poem blaming that wayward hair for a situation gone wrong then share with the class if desired.

5. Related books

*You Hear Me? Poems and Writings by Teenage Boys by Betsy Franco ISBN 9780763611590

*Paint Me Like I Am: Teen Poems from WritersCorps by Bill Aguado and Richard Newirth ISBN 9780064472647

*Tell the World by WritersCorps ISBN 9780061345043