These Are Not the Words

This semi-autobiographical novel does not follow the typical format of a Middle Grade novel, because the novel was a told through the use of poetry to tell the story. The book required a close reading, which was unusual for Middle Grade The main character was Miranda Billie Taylor She was named after t......more

As the book opens in 1960s New York, it seems like 12-year-old Missy has delightfully cool parents: an art student mother and an advertising exec/musician father who sneaks her out after midnight to jazz clubs in Harlem, exchanging delightful poems with her that they each pen. But there is a growing......more

These Are Not the Words is the somewhat true story of Missy and her mother and father. Her Pop, as she calls her father takes her on night-time trips to bars and restaurants to share his love of music with her. Her mother is in art school. But her life becomes more chaotic as her father sinks deeper......more

This book is such a powerful and intimate exploration of a father daughter relationship. I've never read anything like it and it had me hungry to keep reading. If you have a complicated relationship with your father, this is a MUST READ. It had me completely immersed while helping me grow.......more

Missy Billie Taylor seems to have the ideal life. She lives in New York City, in the 1960s, where jazz and the arts flourish. Her mom is an aspiring artist and her dad a midnight drummer. He takes Missy on secret excursions where she sees the night club life up close. Missy loves poetry and they oft......more