I did really enjoy this book though - Michael's story was compelling and beautifully told. I loved watching him grow and develop throughout. The person leading the activity should chose one of the sections. Everyone who wants to should take it in turns to share what they wrote or drew in that section. They could read it out or hold it up to their screen. The person leading the activity should invite people to share ideas for all of the sections. Melanism can help birds blend into their surroundings, making it a useful anti-predator defence for some species. But since adult flamingos don’t have many natural predators in the region, this bird’s plumage could be more bane than boon: Too much pigment makes feathers brittle and prone to breakage. This is not about being ready, it’s not even about being fierce, or fearless, IT’S ABOUT BEING FREE. As a teacher, I often struggled to ‘teach’ poetry to children – especially the writing of it. What advice would you give to teachers who want to develop their teaching of poetry in the classroom?

I decided to try the audiobook because it is read by the author, Dean Atta, who happens to be a well-known poet. I figured, who better to hear the words from, in the way he wants them to be heard. Your best friend is a mirror. Other friends ask after you when you are standing right there. “Where are you?” They ask, “Why are you without your other self?” You two are the ingredients to make something brand new. You cannot unbake a cake. You can only slice. A knife is a mirror. A best friend can be a knife.” No me ha gustado que el marketing que rodea el libro sea sobre 'un chico drag queen' cuando... no es así. De hecho, todo ese tema surge ya pasada la primera mitad del libro. Si tu máxima pretensión es esa... te vas a llevar una decepción. Por eso insisto en que es una historia que tiene muchísimo más que aportar que eso. This was such a beautiful read. In particular, I think it's worth mentioning that this novel is about Michael, for Michael, and ends with Michael. I loved the window into his internal thoughts...this was probably a direct result of the verse format. It felt so intimate.We follow Michael as he grows from a child to a teenager to a young adult. We are right with him when he takes his first tentative steps towards adulthood and finding his identity. This book is a fairy tale in which I am the prince and the princess.

With this novel, I felt the same as I did with Kacen Callender's, Felix Ever After, in that I was completely and whole-heartedly entranced by the main character's story and emotions.

Everyone should fill the other sections with the place or event they could imagine most clearly, the most important part of the story, and the character or event they related to most. The person leading the activity should give everyone 60 seconds for each section. Oh, wow, my heart is so full. Dean Atta, this is exceptional; a work of art. Thank you for writing. Antes de empezar con la review solo diré una cosa: qué necesario es y qué agradecido me siento de haberle dado una oportunidad. Este es uno de esos libros que cambian vidas, que tienen un impacto positivo y que ayudará a miles de personas por todo el mundo, especialmente a la juventud LGTB racializada. I am the king and the queen. This was one of my very first verse novels and I don't think I got the full effect by listening to the audiobook.