Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

From the Publisher

Twelve-year-old Lonnie is fi nally feeling at home with his foster family. But because he's living apart from his little sister, Lili, he decides it's his job to be the "rememberer"—and write down everything that happens while they're growing up. Lonnie's musings are bittersweet; he's happy that he and Lili have new families, but though his new family brings him joy, it also brings new worries. With a foster brother in the army, concepts like Peace have new meaning for Lonnie.

Told through letters from Lonnie to Lili, this thoughtprovoking companion to Jacqueline Woodson's National Book Award finalist Locomotion tackles important issues in captivating, lyrical language. Lonnie's refl ections on family, loss, love and peace will strike a note with readers of all ages.

Publishers Weekly

Following the character introduced in Locomotion, Woodson switches from poetry to letters to show how 12-year-old Lonnie Collins Motion, aka Locomotion, maintains a bond with his younger sister, Lili. He reminds her of their past: "There was a time before your foster mama came and said, 'I'll take the little girl but I don't want no boys.' " Besides missing his sister and their late parents, Lonnie has other problems to cope with (his foster mother's son returns from Iraq disabled and traumatized). In his letters, Lonnie shares the big and small details of his days, works through philosophical struggles (a friend tells him that "Miss Edna was my mama now"), and includes some of the tender poems he composes. Although the epistolary motif makes for some stilted writing, Woodson creates a full-bodied character in kind, sensitive Lonnie. Readers will understand his quest for peace, and appreciate the hard work he does to find it. Ages 9-12. (Jan.)

Booklist

. . . the spare, beautiful prose - both the dialogue and the fast first-person narrative - is as lyrical as the first book.

Children's Literature

Living in a foster home apart from his younger sister Lili, twelve-year-old Lonnie C. Motion (a.k.a. Locomotion) is determined to keep their sibling bond strong through letters. Initially, he sets out to be the "rememberer" for them, writing his recollections of times spent with their parents before they died in a fire. As time passes, his letters expand their focus to include observations about his new family, his visits with Lili, the return of his foster mother's son from the Iraq War, and the veteran's adaptation to an injury that left him with just one leg. Lonnie is a tender-hearted, strong, funny protagonist, and readers will quickly be drawn into "his" heartfelt words. Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson has done it again, adding a stirring contribution to the canon of children's literature "must-read" books. This is a companion to her National Book Award finalist, Locomotion (2004), which was written as a series of poems. Reviewer: Heidi Hauser Green

VOYA

Twelve-year-old Lonnie "Locomotion" Motion has a lot on his mind - mostly his beloved nine-year-old sister Lily. Lonnie and Lily have been living in separate foster homes in Brooklyn for nearly five years after their parents died tragically in a fire. Lonnie realizes that his memories of their family before the fire are beginning to fade and fears that as more time goes by they will disappear altogether. To keep the memories alive, Lonnie writes Lily letters and poems with the plan of one day presenting them to her so that she too will remember. In his writing, Lonnie not only reflects on Lily and their mother and father before the fire, but also his foster family, his love of writing, and the war. This title picks up where Woodson's National Book Award Finalist, Locomotion (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2003/VOYA February 2003), leaves off. Woodson again captures the hearts of younger readers - and much older reviewers - through poetry and prose, masterfully juxtaposing sadness and loss with hope and optimism. Readers' hearts will ache for Lonnie's loss and his longing to be with his sister, but they will find relief in his optimism and in knowing that he has love and happiness in his life. Reviewer: Domina Daughtry

Alan Review

Peace, Locomotion is the lyrical and thoughtful companion text to Woodson's National Book Award Finalist, Locomotion. Lonnie Collins Motion, aka Locomotion, struggles to find his place in his new foster family. He loves his new family but misses his sister, Lili, who was placed with a different family. He is dealing with the loss of his parents while his new family is struggling with his foster brother's war injury. The novel's backdrop is a country questioning what peace means during the time of an unwanted and unpopular war and provides a timeless quality to the story. Woodson once again shows her ability to create a thoughtful and reflective character who confronts and grows from dealing with his fears and insecurities. While this story deals with social issues and societal concerns, it does so without the bleakness often present in texts focusing on loss, grief, war, and foster families. Reviewer: Melanie Hundley

School Library Journal

Gr 4–6—Lonnie (Lonnie Collins Motion), a 12-year-old African-American boy, and his younger sister, Lili, are in separate foster homes since their parents died in a house fire some years earlier. Desperate to keep the sibling relationship alive, Lonnie makes sure they visit and he also writes letters to Lili that document their lives and his intention for them to be together one day. In Jacqueline Woodson's sequel (2009) to her National Book Award Finalist, Locomotion(2003, both Putnam), the whole concept of peace and war comes into Lonnie's life as his foster mother's son returns home from the war without his legs. Lonnie's growing sense of peace and the futility of war becomes a large part of this story, and each letter to Lili is signed "Peace, Locomotion." Dion Graham's narration sounds exactly like that of a boy whose world is constantly shifting. His expert use of prosody makes each and every letter come alive. Lonnie's job in his family is to be "the rememberer," and Graham's performance is equally memorable. Woodson's well-developed characters, lyrical text, and important themes and Graham's superb narration make this engaging audiobook a must-have for library collections.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Kirkus Reviews

Lonnie, of Locomotion (2003), is turning 12. He writes letters to his sister, Lili, to keep in touch between occasional visits arranged by their respective foster mothers. He is happier living with Miss Edna now, but is concerned about forgetting his "real" parents, who died in a fire years ago. Miss Edna's got her own worries, with one grown son "over there fighting in the war." Woodson successfully develops characters that readers will feel close to, but this epistolary narrative does not sparkle as the novel-in-verse did for its predecessor. There, lightness of plot was carried by the energy and accessibility of the poems, which also supported a heartfelt voice that seemed genuinely 11-year-old-boy. Here, Lonnie's extraordinarily thoughtful and articulate letters are a little harder to swallow and do less to engage interest. The short length, the Brooklyn setting, the resonance of the characters' situations with those of many young readers and Woodson's undeniable literary talent still distinguish this among the reading choices available for this audience, but it's only for collections where the one title just won't suffice. (Fiction. 10-14)

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