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Pick up Kwame Alexander's new middle-grade novel, "Booked," and you'll find free-wheeling poems like this one:

Dean and Don Eggelston

are pit-bull mean

eighth grade tyrants

with beards.

They used to

play

soccer

with you

and Coby

till they got kicked

out of the league

for literally tackling

opponents

and then—

get this—

biting them.

The story about a 12-year-old boy named Nick is told entirely in verse. And like Alexander's Newbery Award-winning novel, "Crossover," it faithfully captures the heart of a boy standing on the verge of adolescence as he deals with his parents' divorce, a pair of school bullies (with beards!) and a newfound interest in girls. Correction. A newfound interest in one girl.

"Booked" is also about discovering the pleasures of reading, as well as the adrenaline-fused joy of participating in sports — in this case, soccer. Alexander, who will be discussing his work at the Viridian Center in West Jordan on Friday, April 8, has a genuine talent for drawing his young readers into a match, letting them feel for themselves the rush of streaking down a field.

In advance of his trip to Utah, Alexander spoke with The Salt Lake Tribune about sports, as well as his deep love of language.

You write many of your stories in verse. What can you tell us about that narrative choice? There are some people who believe that young readers, particularly boys, might be intimidated by the form.

Funny thing is, it's actually the opposite. Young readers, especially boys, find accessible, relatable poetry to be unintimidating because there's so much white space, because it's so spare and concise, because it employs rhythm and sometimes rhyme. I like being able to take the heavy themes and subjects and distill them into these power-packed words and compact lines that explode off the page and into our hearts and minds.

Poetry — or at least lyrical language — is central to everything you write. Where did your interest in poetry come from?

It came from my parents, who exposed me to poets like Lucille Clifton and Nikki Giovanni when I was a child. I can remember going to poetry readings with them when I was growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y. Eventually, it became a way for me to take in the world, to understand my place in it better, to communicate my ideas and ideals. In college, studying with Nikki Giovanni, it became the primary language I learned to use to protest apartheid, get dates and dream a better world.

You write well about sports. Did you play when you were growing up? Are you a fan? If so, who are your teams?

I was a very competitive kid. I played everything. I was decent at basketball, but I never developed the confidence to go along with my ambition. I excelled at tennis and ping pong, and ended up being one of the top-ranked tennis players in Virginia. I absolutely love watching Serena Williams play. And I am hoping that the Champions League ends in a matchup of Barcelona and Real Madrid. EL CLÁSICO! I think LeBron James is special, not just because of what he does on the court, but what he does off the court. Last summer, he paid for 1,000 kids to go to college. That's a superstar move there!

When it comes to writing for young people, what subjects are nearest and dearest to your heart and why?

It's all about love. And family. And relationships. With our parents, siblings, friends, enemies, crushes, teammates, and it just goes on. I like to explore those relationships and how they shape our lives.

Speaking of young readers, you've written everything from picture books to YA novels. Your middle-grade novel "Crossover" was awarded the Newbery Medal. Can you speak a little to the differences in those audiences and what you enjoy particularly about writing each kind of book?

The thing that ties all the books together for me is that I kinda write for me. I try to write for the 6-year-old me, and the 12-year-old me, and the 18-year-old me, and the me right now. I try not to write "down" to a particular audience. It has to first engage and excite me, and then I figure it'll stand a better chance of engaging and exciting the reader. It's all great fun to me. It's also a great responsibility, so I take my job seriously, even when I'm writing about two frogs going surfing!

What's your favorite thing a young reader has ever said to you about your work?

"Dude, I don't even like books, but I couldn't put yours down. I think I'ma start reading now."

If you could give parents and teachers advice for turning kids into readers, what would it be?

Here's a line from my new novel, "Booked":

"Books are fun, Nicholas," Dad says,

"they're like amusement parks

for readers."

Yeah, well, maybe

they would be fun

if I got to pick

the rides

sometimes, you answer. …

If you could give advice to a child who wants to be a writer, what would it be?

Read. Watch. Listen. Live. Write (especially poetry, it's the basic building block of all successful writing. In my opinion).

What do you want to see when you visit Salt Lake City?

The Tabernacle

A room full

Of small presses

and

My friend

Shannon Hale —

Book this date

Kwame Alexander will discuss his books, including his new novel, "Booked."

When • Friday, April 8, 7-9 p.m.

Where • Viridian Center, 8030 S. 1825 West, West Jordan

Tickets • Free

More information • For more on the author, visit bookinaday.org ; for more on his Utah appearance, visit Viridiancenter.org or http://www.kingsenglish.com

'Booked'

By Kwame Alexander

HMH Books for Young Readers

Age range • 10-12 years, grades 5-7

Pages • 320

Cost • $16