After reinventing choral reading for children with his poetry for two voices in Joyful Noise (1988) and I Am Phoenix (1985), both published by Harper, Paul Fleischman stretches further with a daring foray into poetry for twice as many voices. The three poems in this volume hold such enormous appeal that young readers will be itching to try them out aloud. “The Quiet Evenings Here” celebrates the small noises of a family that prefers to stay at home. “Seventh Grade Soap Opera” offers short bursts of teenage gossip. “Ghosts’ Grace” features the delicious patter of unseen dinner guests who comment on the things they most miss about eating: “To do battle with butter / brick‑hard and defiant / in wintertime / soft and servile / in July. / I’m hungry for hunger! / What rapture, that tug in the stomach / when butter and rolls are close by!” As Fleischman explains in an introductory note, each poem gets progressively more challenging to read aloud. He has included helpful instructions for interpreting the design that uses four color‑coded, horizontal bars to delineate the speakers and arrange the words almost like musical notes. It’s a bit tricky but with some practice, the poems are likely to be as much fun for the listeners as they are for the speakers. Beppe Giacobbe’s buoyant color illustrations add a lively humor without detracting from the poems. (Ages 9‑14)

Have some toe-tapping, tongue-flapping fun with this brilliant new book by Newbery Award-winner Paul Fleischman and gifted illustrator Beppe Giacobbe. You'll have to see, shout, share, perform, and experience it to believe it!

Two's company . . . four's a blast! Especially when you're joining voices with family or friends. Around the kitchen table, on the front steps, or in the classroom, these rousing, rib-tickling, delicious poems will fill you full of the joy of reading aloud. Paul Fleischman won the Newbery Medal for JOYFUL NOISE: POEMS FOR TWO VOICES. Now he invites us to make more word music.

Settle back and chant "The Quiet Evenings Here," as Grandma rocks, the clock tick-tocks, Sister hums, raindrops rap, and no one cares a hoot for the noisy, fast-paced world outside. Delight in the gossipy "Seventh-Grade Soap Opera," alive with whispers, invitations, and hearsay about who's fibbing, eavesdropping, or holding hands with whom. Let the poignant "Ghosts' Race" reveal the secret hungry ghosts know—and their spirited take on mortal mealtime. Arranged in color-coded groups of four lines, one line per speaker, each poem weaves a rich tapestry of rhythm, sense, and sound.

Written by Paul Fleischman, the renowned author of WESLANDIA, and evocatively illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe, this hip, innovative, and extraordinary book will have readers of all ages sounding off.