Fans of Kwame Alexander's previous works will not be disappointed with his latest addition to YA Literature. Packed with beautiful verse, Swing is sure to be a hit with students. Additionally, the diverse cast makes it a perfect fit for any classroom library.

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars and decided on the higher rating because the writing of Alexander and Hess is so strong. The voice of Noah, struggling to define himself and the relationships around him, was realistic and unique, and it's hard not to love Walt, his best friend, so well-meaning in a geeky, bumbling way. I love that he found a girl who loved him just as he was. The plot itself left too many gaps for me, and the ending also felt unresolved. I wanted to know a bit more about "the after" of the final climatic event. That said, I do still highly recommend Swing, just for the joy of meeting Noah and Walt. Review based on an ARC from NetGalley.

CW: [PTSD (scenes with a character exhibiting symptoms thereof) (hide spoiler)]

I've been reading a lot more novels in verse this year, the latest of which is Swing by Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess. I first learned of this writing duo through their previous book, Solo, and was pleased when I got the chance to joined the #SwingLaunchTeam. It's been a real treat getting to learn about the book, hearing what other members of the #swingbook launch team have thought about it, and now getting to share my personal reading experience with all of you.

The friendship trio showcased in Swing is classic. Noah, Walt, and Sam's friendship was so strong in middle school, then came to face the challenges of high school and the changes that test the ties that bound them together. New things rise up and make you question what's important now, who is going to remain in your life, whether the old is going to stand the test of time or if it's going to give way for something different. It can be sad but it can also be normal. Noah observing all this in verse, telling us what's happening to his friends, brings up memories of the past for readers while we're living in his present, waiting to see what it turns into.

"I WILL make the varsity baseball team senior year. Bet on that. I’ll practice harder than before. Work out harder. Get ripped. Give the whole of my heart and soul to the glove and the ball."


Walt, a.k.a. Swing, was such an enthusiastic character. He was always talking to Noah, the main voice of the novel, the "I", about his philosophy of life called cool. Walt's dreams extend beyond cool, though. He loves a lot more and his passion show through in how he lives every day to the fullest, how he espouses what he calls Hug Life. Baseball, for example: it's about so much more than loving the game, the players. It's the intricacies, being in the moment, feeling it inside. He doesn't see not being on the team right now as a letdown. Baseball doesn't ever let him down. It's his future, one way or the other.

"Abandoning the traditional major and minor key relationships of tonality, Miles based the entire album on modality. It was a remarkable, landmark album that shaped the future of modern music. It was improvisation, but each of the performers was given a set of scales that defined the parameters of their improvisation."


There was a lot about music and the depths of emotion that it could stir, particularly when a character named Divya appears as a love interest for Walt/Swing. Noah makes this real soulful connection to music that feels beautiful, almost like a camera panning an especially well lit scene in a film with the perfect soundtrack.

The scene, the beginning of something for Divya and Walt as quoted above, was one of my favorite scenes. It's easy to picture them in this crowded thrift shop where Divya worked, Noah in the background observing their story just starting, and different records being played.

Noah has his own love story to work on throughout the book: whether to act on a crush, whether to confess, whether to EMBRACE LIFE in the words of his best friend. It's a confusing time and it's something that could be relatable, even if it's not specifically about a crush. Noah's nerves were for sure something that could be applied to a few different situations, especially for readers that are his peers.

"Looks pretty safe to me. This is a nice neighborhood. Yeah, pretty safe for YOU, but I’m a black kid walking up and down the street with a baseball glove. At three am. In the middle of nowhere. You do that math, Noah."


Among the changes of teenage friendships and trying to figure out a crush, there's also an interaction between Walt & Noah when Walt calls Noah for a ride home. It's summed up in this quote and shows how different their world views are, how some things don't even register to Noah while Walt has them in at the forefront every moment.

It wasn't always easy to understand who was talking while reading this book because in verse as opposed to narrative, there were no tags, no names coming out at the end of the sentences. The voices really have to stand out on their own so the reader can identify the different characters. Sometimes Walt/Swing and Noah blended a little too much and made the text confusing.

Swing had a lot of imagery that went from words and translated to visual and auditory imaginings, something I appreciated because it made the book even more of an experience. Kwame Alexander with Mary Rand Hess have created another book that in verse is something that can be consumed either with speed, easily, but also slowly, to be savored while picking up all the nuances with each verse.

I can't even tell you guys how excited I was to get an ARC of this one. I ADORE Kwame Alexander's work, and I wasn't disappointed.

Swing is one part romance, one part coming-of-age, one part social commentary. (Although it's a little heavy on the romance and light on the commentary.) Our narrator, Noah, is in love with his best friend--but she has a boyfriend. He loves art and baseball and his kooky friend Walt (aka Swing), who always seems to get them into crazy situations. I loved watching Noah's story progress, and Alexander's poetry is--as always--a fantastic mix that sometimes hits you hard like rap and sometimes eases into your blood like Jazz.

My only complaint is the abruptness of the ending. Most of the book is about Noah and Sam's non-relationship and Swing's crazy plan to find "cool". Then all of a sudden there seems to be a new focus and we (as readers) are not afforded much time to make the switch or deal with the emotional repercussions. If it was intentional and we were meant to feel uncomfortable, okay--but this felt more like an entire story was told only to have another one crammed in at the end. And while I LIKED both stories, I felt like the second one didn't get near the attention it should have.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. Walt Disney Jones has to be one of my favorite recent characters I've encountered. (For some reason, I pictured him as Kenan Thompson, one of my favorite actors.) Using the title and nickname of "Swing" is so appropriate. In the same day, I read two books that did not use quotation marks to delineate speakers, and I found myself re-reading several times to get straight who said what; maybe the fact that this was an ARC affected that. As others have mentioned, I felt the end was a bit rushed, but perhaps that is part of the point. I feel like I missed why Sam made a certain decision near the end, and the character of Moses was a bit underdeveloped as well. I do not want to spoil the plot for anyone, but I will say that there is no language that some might object to in this book, so it might be deemed appropriate for younger audiences than some books with a similar topic.

Swing is a charming and delightful tale. The ending touches on issues that are very much in the forefront of today's world. This would be a good book for teen book discussion groups. The topics are timely and would generate a lot of conversation.

When I first opened the pages of this wonderful book, I wasn't sure what I was looking at.  The words on the page weren't arranged or aligned like a normal novel.  No, something special was done with them.  Swing is put together like an epic poem, but reads like a novel.  And it is fantastic.  I felt like I was reading an important piece of music, as Noah and his friend Walt, also known as Swing, try to live the lives of normal teenagers: getting the girl, making the baseball team, and dealing with challenges most of us face growing into adulthood.

I will be recommending this book to my readers and anyone else looking for a new read. This novel is definitely want to purchase.

Have you ever been best friends with someone but you really want to move past the friend zone into something more? Noah, Walt, and Sam have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Noah has feelings for Sam that go way past the best friend zone, but Sam only has eyes for the star baseball player (even though he treats her bad). To help move Noah and Sam's relationship on, Walt takes Noah to see the guru of love, his cousin Floyd who works at the Dairy Queen. Floyd helps produce a podcast called "WhooHoo Woman", a podcast in which two women give advice on how to treat a lady. What really turns all of their lives around is when Noah and Walt go to the local thrift store to buy a present for his mom's birthday. The girl behind the counter, Divya, helps Noah pick out a vintage purse and Walt falls instantly in love with her. What comes as a total surprise is when Noah finds a bunch of love letters from a man named Corinthian to the love of his life, Annemarie written back in the 1960s. While Noah is pouring over these letters, Walt is trying to get back on the baseball team in which he has given himself the nickname, Swing. These letters give Noah the courage to come out in the open to Sam about his feelings. Everything comes to a head one night at a party at Noah's house. Will Sam be able to cross that friend zone into something more with Noah? Will Noah's confession of love ruin a lifelong friendship? Will Walt ever make it back onto the baseball team before he graduates? This is a must read book of love, loss, friendship, and music. Do not miss this one!!

Kwame and Mary are an incredible writing duo. Kwame's books are written in verse form and the rhythm just flows throughout the whole book. This book will have you laughing and crying and cheering on each character as they go through different situations in their life. I was only a few pages into this book and I wanted to be friends with these characters so bad. You are just drawn into their world and when the story is over these characters still have your heart. Do not miss one of Kwame's best books yet (I have to say "one of" because all of his books are the bomb!!).

I'm having a very hard time deciding what to say about this book. I loved Kwame Alexander's middle-grade books, and his is the author that finally got me to read books in verse. I felt the writing in this one was a bit too disjointed and I often had trouble knowing which character was speaking, which made it confusing and frustrating.

It almost seemed like someone took the beginning and middle of one book, and put it together with the ending. Most of the book is about Noah being in love with his best friend Samantha for years, and never being able to tell her. Then that story is just abruptly ended, in a very unsatifying and unrealistic way, and out of nowhere Noah's friend Walt's brother Mo shows up with PTSD, which leads to tragedy. In my opinion. these should've been 2 separate books. It just seems like two ideas were crammed together, which made for a very frustrating and disappointing finish.

Also, I know it's an important issue, but does every book about African-American teens have to involve a main character being killed in a police shooting? I feel like I've read the same story over and over the last few years, and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon because it's a hot topic and guaranteed to sell. There have to be other stories to tell, and it presents a distorted reality to keep telling the same one over and over, and make the book too predictable. After reading so many with the same message and so many similarities, it gets harder and harder to appreciate them and not feel numb and emotionally fatigued.

Swing focuses on two best friends on the search for cool during their junior year of high school. Written in verse, one is on a quest to find the courage to confess his love to his friend. You think you're being taken on a journey of the average teenage experience (first love, parties, sports, etc.) but then after prom - seemingly out of left field, everything changes.

I wish there had been a little more of the ending. It was too abrupt for me.

I've been reading a lot of novels in verse lately, but Kwame Alexander might be the current master of that form. Swing is powerful. I love how Alexander captures the oddball spirit of the main characters, looking at their normal lives, and not using their quirks as their story, but instead, building characters that you love.

If I might slip into SPOILER territory, the fact that a very definite statement about police violence against young African American men happens very abruptly, and without an obvious buildup is powerful. In fact, it would be my primary reason, as a teacher, to put this book in kids' hands. To have a character be the victim of this very real world problem is powerful. I know what my reaction was, and can easily imagine what the I cut will be on a young reader.

And now, the wait for the next book from Kwame Alexander begins.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Swing Launch Team for providing me with this ARC. I have been a fan of Kwame Alexander since I read Crossover a few years ago. My sixth graders love reading his books, for many different reasons. Kwame and Mary Rand Hess worked together on Solo, which was a beautiful story, and you can see how well they work together through this book as well. Together, they create a language, voice, and characters grip you from the start and Swing definitely lived up to this expectation. This book held my attention and made me root for the characters. I highly recommend this book to all readers of all ages. It is a timely story, but also timeless in its message.

Still haven't read a Kwame Alexander book I haven't enjoyed! This title had a little bit of something for everyone - sports, romance, family, friendship, grief, happiness...the list goes on and on. Novels in verse always appeal to me because they are so accessible for all types of readers, and that goes a long way in our library. Excited to share this once it's released!

Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess have nailed it again in Swing. The story includes important messages and concepts that society, parents, students, and schools need to discuss, as well as some traditional jazz references that are smoothly distributed throughout the text. The characters are all absolute treasures and readers will be left feeling like they've gained new friends. As with all of their works, the story flows with its free verse rap-like momentum that compels you to keep reading.

Alexander and Hess bring all the feelings in a verse novel that packs an emotional punch. Humor, first love, and grief are perfectly balanced, creating rich characters I deeply cared about. And yes, you will need tissues as the end of the book approaches. Highly recommended for high school students. I plan to use it in teen programming at the public library where I work.

Thanks to Netgalley and the SWING
LAUNCH TEAM, I had the honor
of reading the ARC of this book.
All the stars for this book! Baseball,
Jazz, friendship, and love all in one
fabulous novel in verse. Funny, sweet,
heartbreaking, beautiful Kwame and
Mary hit another one out of the park.
#huglife

I just finished Swing! Wow! I do not want to ruin the book for anyone, but Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess have touched on so many themes of friendship, love, and a need for societal changes. I empathized and connected with the characters! My eyes may have leaked a bit at times. #swingbook
Look for the release in October!

Posted on my Facebook page: Jennifer Carrier Hottinger
And on Twitter: @ignitingwriters

Alexander and Hess, once again, capture the voice of youth and all of its turmoil while making a statement about the state of our country. Walt and Nate are entering their junior year of high school and have failed to make the baseball team, again. Walt refuses to give up, so between batting cage sessions he decides they should seek “cool” during their senior year. Nate is too preoccupied with finding the nerve to let his true love, Sam (she thinks they’re just friends) know how he feels. All the while, someone has been making a political statement by leaving American flags all over town and the police won’t rest until they find the culprit. The authors intertwine plenty of beauty in the form of jazz, art, love, poetry,and friendship but also make a powerful statement about the state of America today.

Music, art, poetry, baseball, love, and war make this YA novel in verse unique. Noah has been in love with one of his best friends for a while, and he is inspired to start creating found art love poems for her after finding some love letters from the 60s. His other best friend Walt, aka Swing, is obsessed with getting back on their school baseball team, and he teaches Noah to appreciate jazz and to be more bold.

Kwame Alexander is a fabulous writer whose prose are intelligent and engaging. Walt (AKA Swing) and Noah are lovelorn high school boys who are passionate about many things, including baseball, jazz, art, and ladies. While neither boy is great at baseball, they strive to be their best selves. I liked that they didn’t feel an obligation to fit in to stereotypical high school roles.

The story follows their ups and downs with relationships and how they each find outlets for their exuberant passion. My hang-up was that I wanted more depth in the social justice storyline and with Walt’s brother who returned from war with PTSD. Instead there was a ton of focus on Noah’s unrequited love, which made the ending feel abrupt. Overall, this is quintessential Kwame writing, I just feel like his middle grade books have more focus than his YA titles co-written with Hess.