Sophomore Cole Renner knows teamwork inside and out from running cross-country at his multi-ethnic Chicago public school. He knows about
braving the elements and not getting passed in the chute. What Cole doesn’t know is how much he’ll need all of his mental and physical skills when the heavy doors of Cook County Jail slam shut on his father, a community activist; when his English teacher catches Cole tagging the school with the F word and sentences him to write two poems a week, each on a word that starts with F; when his best friend Felipe Ramirez runs for class president against the girl who dumped him; and when the school bully prowls the halls looking for Cole and the principal seems more interested in punishing Cole than the bully. As much as Cole wants to win meets, what he wants even more is justice—for his father, for himself, for Felipe, and for his fellow students. Cole learns that actions matter, but so do words. He takes his write words (in both Spanish and English) and turns them into the right words to fight for justice.
" Barbara Gregorich has written dozens of books, many on women in baseball, including She’s on First and Women at Play: The Story of Women in Baseball. She has also written numerous middle-grades books such as Jack and Larry and Cookie the Cockatoo: Everything Changes, and more than 150 educational activity books. As a freelance editor/writer at School Zone Publishing she wrote 18 Start to Read books, developed and wrote the Read and Think series, and has written many BrainQuest cards for Workman Publishing. She hosts the high profile blog Much to Write About. Her first YA novel, The F Words, honors the important role that young people play in movements for social change. "
This powerful and diverse book will inspire young readers to stand up for what they believe in, to believe in themselves, and to fight for justice. Perfect for teens finding themselves—and tentatively writing poetry—during the era of Me Too and Black Lives Matter.
ISBN: 978-1-952536-26-7
5 reviews for The F Words
Rated 5 out of 5
Lisa J. Lickel –
“It is completely refreshing to read a book about a good kid making restitution for doing a bad thing while figuring out constructive ways to deal with injustice. Chicago high school sophomore Cole Renner come to grips with the fact that he is not going to change the world all at once, but that he can and should make a difference in his own environment.
Barbara Gregorich uses her experience as an activist and love of sports to create a marvelous cast of eclectic teachers, staff, students, and parents in this street-level view of precarious teen life in contemporary Chicago. Cole is beyond frustrated when his father receives jail time for leading a protest against closing a local public elementary school. “All this over a grade school,” Cole thinks. It’s one more event in a long list of frustrations over inequality, petty revenge, getting dumped by his girlfriend, and upside-down thinking he encounters in his life. Taking out his anger at the “system” by tagging the school with a vulgarity one night at the beginning of the school year, he’s caught in the act by his English teacher who happens to be in the neighborhood. Quick and creative thinking combine to form an unusual punishment. Cole shows his quality of character by taking to heart and learning from this unique assignment of creating at least two poems a week featuring a word that begins with the letter F for the remainder of the school year.
Cole’s journey of self-discovery involves applying cross-country running advice from an empathetic coach, the deep love of his parents, the experience of visiting his father in the Cook County jail, watching his mother learn how to cope with brief single parenting, and from his boss at his afterschool job at a greenhouse. During an event in which Cole supports his friend Felipe’s class presidency campaign, Cole observes that Felipe is breathing “like he’s in a race. Then I realize he is. Not an actual race, but a race to represent tenth graders. To argue for what he believes in.”
We eventually learn why Cole’s English teacher is willing to risk his career by misleading the school’s principal about who vandalized school property when Cole must trust him with another problem. Empathetic educators help Cole “switch on all the bright lights.” Cole is challenged by the principal who thinks but cannot prove he is the one who tagged the school, and continues to harbor a grudge for Cole’s actions the previous year of protesting standardized testing. Cole’s sense of social responsibility takes on new meaning when not only is his chance at a college scholarship threatened, but so are his friends when the realities of illegal immigration affect them all.
Later, Cole is asked about his poetry assignment and confesses the poems he writes “let me say how I’m feeling, and they make me think.”
The F Words is an enlightening book for middle and high school. While it does contain limited and mild appropriately situational cursing, I recommend it, especially to foment family discussions on social justice and youth activism.”
Rated 5 out of 5
Bradley –
“The F Words is a fantastic YA novel. The story, set in Chicago, follows Cole, a high school student, who’s having a hard time. His dad is in jail. He’s frustrated. In a moment of anger, he vandalizes the local school, painting the F word on the outside walls. His English teacher catches him, and instead of seeking suspension, the punishment is much more creative: Cole will have to write two poems (about other F words) each week. The novel sets off from here and goes on to tackle complex race and cultural issues. The cast is diverse. The plot is engaging throughout. The book feels timely and important, teaching about the power in and need for activism.
I appreciate how Gregorich uses poetry inside the novel. This adds another depth to the experience of the whole book.
The F Words isn’t just a good book, but it’s also an important one. High school teachers in particular should seek out this one for their classrooms. It’ll certainly be on my bookshelf—if students will put it down, that is.”
Rated 5 out of 5
Linda Loew –
“I loved this book! It kept me on my toes, looking around the next corner, waiting to hear the bullhorns and the sound of marching protestors approaching. If you’ve ever walked a picket line or carried a protest sign, pumped your fist in the air against injustice and for a better world, you’ll probably feel a surge like I did as the main character Cole, a 10th grader, and his friends & family navigate not just the halls of their high school, but the streets of their Chicago neighborhood.
Cole’s father is a political prisoner in Cook County jail, for his role in leading a struggle against school closures. Cole’s best friend Felipe runs for class president on a social justice platform, while ICE agents patrolling the streets are a constant worry to their classmates. Cole faces many challenges besides getting in trouble for tagging F Words on the school wall.
The F Words are not just what you might think…they’re a jumping off point for much more, from Fortitude to Fury, from Fist to Fire, from Fear to Fighting back…to Friendship.
Besides the physical action, from cross country running, to protest marches, there’s the mental action, the intellectual and cultural growth reflected in Cole’s poems. There’s a great deal more to identify with from tacos to home baked pies. Whether you are a teacher, a parent, or a high school student yourself, I highly recommend this YA novel to everyone, young and older “”youth.”” There’s something for all of us!”
Rated 5 out of 5
S. Katz –
“I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced YA novel. Pertinent for teens today but also good reading for an old fogey like myself.
The book has likeable, engaging characters who encounter the unfairness of life and figure out how to protest and deal with it.
The poetry Cole, the main character, writes as a “”punishment”” adds to the story. This book should give teens a lot to think about, whether they agree with it all or not. Hopefully it will spark some worthwhile conversations with others. 5 stars from me!”
Rated 5 out of 5
Redline –
I noticed the effortless way the author handles the mixture of Spanish and English when bilingual characters and their friends communicate. In a process called: “code switching,” Spanish words are often inserted into predominantly English dialogue especially when emphasis or emotion are needed. In fact, although the vocabulary of the entire novel is easily accessible, it always shows a reverence for words and their meanings.
Written by Jonathan Zimmerman, with cartoons by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Signe Wilkinson.
Across the political spectrum, Americans have demanded the suppression of ideas and images that allegedly threaten our nation. But the biggest danger to America comes not from speech but from censorship, which prevents us from freely governing ourselves.
In this brief but bracing book, historian Jonathan Zimmerman and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Signe Wilkinson tell the story of free speech in America: who established it, who has denounced it, and who has risen to its defense.
At First Light is a celebration of the natural world, one morning at a time. Put on the coffee, cozy up in your favorite chair and soak in the beauty of a new day. Breathe deeply and turn the pages slowly through the seasons. Listen to the sound of skis glide over fresh snow. Keep a keen eye out for deer prints as you pass through the tall tree shadows of sunrise.
This exquisite book reminds us that each day is a new gift to cherish and explore.
Just as the late winter sun eases up the river ice, the pages of At First Light will clear your spirit and start your day with a warm glow for many seasons to come.
You will never really finish reading At First Light.
Winner of the 2019 Benjamin Franklin Award, Silver in the Gift Book category
It’s Fall now and the Cayuga Island Kids are busy with homework, projects, and after school activities. But there’s still plenty of time for mystery and adventure!
In the third book in the Cayuga Island Kids chapter book series, Julian is exploring food science as he experiments with recipes on his quest for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Being a cookie sampler takes Mac’s mind off his troubles with fractions. Yoko is practicing gestures and facial expressions in anticipation of the school play tryouts. Maya is Ms. Choi’s helper in the after-school Make-and-Take-Club for younger crafters. Lacey is taking care of the little community library that Gram built—and searching for the next mystery to solve.
When two of Ms. Choi’s glitter pens go missing, Maya turns to Lacey for help. The clues and evidence point to a suspect, but are they jumping to conclusions? When a classmate jumps to conclusions and shares false information about Julian’s cookies, the Cayuga Island Kids join forces to set the facts straight. When the kids research explorers for a school project, they uncover misinformation that blurs the truth, and makes the reasons for being a fact detective crystal clear.
As the fall leaves turn color, the Cayuga Island Kids come to realize that sorting through clues and evidence—just like research—means making sure information is factual, and not just a fraction of the truth. Young readers will cheer for the Cayuga Island Kids as they embark on this latest adventure involving faulty assumptions, missing facts, flour bugs, and chocolate chip cookies.
Check out The Case of the Messy Message and the Missing Facts book trailer!
The endearing, classic poem by Robert Louis Stevenson is brought to life by a charming little boy enjoying the experience of swinging. With his dog by his side, the child believes he can fly. And in his swing, he just might be right! Beautifully illustrated for contemporary children by Heather Lynn Harris, it is hoped that The Swing, will revive a lost gem to the delight of children everywhere. This book is a classic that will be treasured by even the youngest of readers.
Elinor Malcolm is ready for the first day of seventh grade, when a last-minute phone call turns her world upside down, and she misses the first week of school. When she returns, she’s known as the new girl, even though she’s not.
In this sequel to Elinormal, Elinor learns all too quickly that people are complicated and relationships take work. Lots of work. As she’s discovering who she is, who she wants to be, and what she wants most in life, Elinor is balancing friendships, old and new. She’s also unraveling her mother’s mysterious past.
New Girl further explores the complexity of friendships, the reality of disappointments, and the trouble with secrets.
The Story of a Kite-Flying Contest, the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge, and the Underground Railroad
Can a kite change history? Katie and Homan’s did.
When engineers were faced with the challenge of bridging the vast Niagara Gorge, the solution was a kite-flying contest. After Katie and Homan’s kite crosses the gorge and wins the contest, construction begins on the first suspension bridge to connect the United States and Canada. The two friends are there as it becomes an important link on the Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape to freedom.
Even as her parents try to shield her from the ugly existence of slavery and the dangers of the Underground Railroad, Katie discovers that the scary truth is closer to home than she could have imagined.
Kite to Freedom is an action-packed, fictionalized account of actual events that occurred during the construction of the Niagara Falls International Suspension Bridge, which still connects the United States and Canada at Niagara Falls.
Lisa J. Lickel –
“It is completely refreshing to read a book about a good kid making restitution for doing a bad thing while figuring out constructive ways to deal with injustice. Chicago high school sophomore Cole Renner come to grips with the fact that he is not going to change the world all at once, but that he can and should make a difference in his own environment.
Barbara Gregorich uses her experience as an activist and love of sports to create a marvelous cast of eclectic teachers, staff, students, and parents in this street-level view of precarious teen life in contemporary Chicago. Cole is beyond frustrated when his father receives jail time for leading a protest against closing a local public elementary school. “All this over a grade school,” Cole thinks. It’s one more event in a long list of frustrations over inequality, petty revenge, getting dumped by his girlfriend, and upside-down thinking he encounters in his life. Taking out his anger at the “system” by tagging the school with a vulgarity one night at the beginning of the school year, he’s caught in the act by his English teacher who happens to be in the neighborhood. Quick and creative thinking combine to form an unusual punishment. Cole shows his quality of character by taking to heart and learning from this unique assignment of creating at least two poems a week featuring a word that begins with the letter F for the remainder of the school year.
Cole’s journey of self-discovery involves applying cross-country running advice from an empathetic coach, the deep love of his parents, the experience of visiting his father in the Cook County jail, watching his mother learn how to cope with brief single parenting, and from his boss at his afterschool job at a greenhouse. During an event in which Cole supports his friend Felipe’s class presidency campaign, Cole observes that Felipe is breathing “like he’s in a race. Then I realize he is. Not an actual race, but a race to represent tenth graders. To argue for what he believes in.”
We eventually learn why Cole’s English teacher is willing to risk his career by misleading the school’s principal about who vandalized school property when Cole must trust him with another problem. Empathetic educators help Cole “switch on all the bright lights.” Cole is challenged by the principal who thinks but cannot prove he is the one who tagged the school, and continues to harbor a grudge for Cole’s actions the previous year of protesting standardized testing. Cole’s sense of social responsibility takes on new meaning when not only is his chance at a college scholarship threatened, but so are his friends when the realities of illegal immigration affect them all.
Later, Cole is asked about his poetry assignment and confesses the poems he writes “let me say how I’m feeling, and they make me think.”
The F Words is an enlightening book for middle and high school. While it does contain limited and mild appropriately situational cursing, I recommend it, especially to foment family discussions on social justice and youth activism.”
Bradley –
“The F Words is a fantastic YA novel. The story, set in Chicago, follows Cole, a high school student, who’s having a hard time. His dad is in jail. He’s frustrated. In a moment of anger, he vandalizes the local school, painting the F word on the outside walls. His English teacher catches him, and instead of seeking suspension, the punishment is much more creative: Cole will have to write two poems (about other F words) each week. The novel sets off from here and goes on to tackle complex race and cultural issues. The cast is diverse. The plot is engaging throughout. The book feels timely and important, teaching about the power in and need for activism.
I appreciate how Gregorich uses poetry inside the novel. This adds another depth to the experience of the whole book.
The F Words isn’t just a good book, but it’s also an important one. High school teachers in particular should seek out this one for their classrooms. It’ll certainly be on my bookshelf—if students will put it down, that is.”
Linda Loew –
“I loved this book! It kept me on my toes, looking around the next corner, waiting to hear the bullhorns and the sound of marching protestors approaching. If you’ve ever walked a picket line or carried a protest sign, pumped your fist in the air against injustice and for a better world, you’ll probably feel a surge like I did as the main character Cole, a 10th grader, and his friends & family navigate not just the halls of their high school, but the streets of their Chicago neighborhood.
Cole’s father is a political prisoner in Cook County jail, for his role in leading a struggle against school closures. Cole’s best friend Felipe runs for class president on a social justice platform, while ICE agents patrolling the streets are a constant worry to their classmates. Cole faces many challenges besides getting in trouble for tagging F Words on the school wall.
The F Words are not just what you might think…they’re a jumping off point for much more, from Fortitude to Fury, from Fist to Fire, from Fear to Fighting back…to Friendship.
Besides the physical action, from cross country running, to protest marches, there’s the mental action, the intellectual and cultural growth reflected in Cole’s poems. There’s a great deal more to identify with from tacos to home baked pies. Whether you are a teacher, a parent, or a high school student yourself, I highly recommend this YA novel to everyone, young and older “”youth.”” There’s something for all of us!”
S. Katz –
“I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced YA novel. Pertinent for teens today but also good reading for an old fogey like myself.
The book has likeable, engaging characters who encounter the unfairness of life and figure out how to protest and deal with it.
The poetry Cole, the main character, writes as a “”punishment”” adds to the story. This book should give teens a lot to think about, whether they agree with it all or not. Hopefully it will spark some worthwhile conversations with others. 5 stars from me!”
Redline –
I noticed the effortless way the author handles the mixture of Spanish and English when bilingual characters and their friends communicate. In a process called: “code switching,” Spanish words are often inserted into predominantly English dialogue especially when emphasis or emotion are needed. In fact, although the vocabulary of the entire novel is easily accessible, it always shows a reverence for words and their meanings.