This is one of those "written in verse" ... but it's not really. On the printed page it looks more like poetry. Lots of white space. No rhymes. Honestly, in audio? You don't really realize the formatting. It just seems like super short chapters with headers (which was the case for The One and Only Ivan and its sequels).  If the thought of "poetry???" dissuades you ... don't let it.  I think my first experience with this "story poetry" was Jason Reynold's Long Way Down (which is one that has stuck with me). 

This too ... impactful, even to an adult. I actually wonder about a younger reader's absorption of it, it would be interesting to get feedback from the intended age audience. The audiobook went very quickly. These "in verse" books may have what looks like a decent number of pages, but there is so much white space, that it's really not very long. After listening, I flipped through the pages. Seeing the words in print, the format ... it made a difference. Especially the chapter titled "What I Know About My Dad" and ... there's nothing on those pages. I'm not sure I really caught that in audio. There were other formatting that impacted the meaning that didn't quite come over in audio. The audio was really good ... I almost think this is a book you need to read twice, start in audio, then re-read the text. Get the full feeling. Going over it, I found myself highlighting little statements ... and upping my original 4* rating to 5*...

I remember when I read [book:Finding Me|58687126] ... and learning about Viola Davis's childhood. Not having enough to eat, or soap to wash. And it connected more, because we are the same age, and it was real. To think that she was having that experience, here in the US, at the exact same time I was growing up in comfort. Were there kids in my elementary school/middle and high school who were struggling? I don't remember it ... were there and I just didn't recognize it? Were there children in my kid's classrooms who didn't have enough to eat? I always would hear "the school breakfast/lunch programs are essential, it's the only food some kids get" and that's so far from my/my children's existence, it's a little hard to imagine. This did make it more real, in the form of fiction.

This was a random "you might also like" on either Amazon or Goodreads as I was looking up something else. It had high ratings, and was available from the library (I borrowed the Kindle and audio) so I moved it into my "Middle Grade May"'...

** I'm marking this as "read" in ebook, although I did also experience it in audio (first). Not recording it as two reads as they were back to back, almost immersive/together.