Fires Burning Deep Inside by Charles Albano
Great Unpublished, No. 387 - 2001
ISBN 1-5898-387-0 Trade Paperback
Nonfiction / Poetry
Teens (children from 10 up would enjoy)

Reviewed by Beverly J. Rowe, MyShelf.com

This is an ambitious collection of over 400 poems of all kinds including Haiku, rhyming and prose poems for older children.

Part One is a section of humorous poems about life in general. Part Two contains poetry of love and romance to help teens communicate with each other and with their parents. They're also geared to helping teenagers cope with shyness, love, togetherness, loss and parting. Part Three is inspirational poetry to encourage and help teens meet challenges in their everyday life. Part Four has all kinds of poetry including SciFaiku fantasy poetry and everyday teen Haiku. Part Five is a short story about the discovery of self and the purpose of life.

Written with great imagination and humor, this rich collection of thoughts to help teens put life's happenings in perspective will entertain and encourage young people. Great fun to read alone or with another person, whether it be a peer or a parent, these poems will generate discussion and give teens new ideas to think about. This book should be in every library.