A Light in the Attic

Shel Silverstein’s (1981) A Light in the Attic is a humorous and light-hearted anthology of poetry that can engage even the most reluctant student reader. The unexpected punch lines of many of the poems, as well as the characters’ problems and thoughts, are geared directly toward children, which makes this book irresistibly inviting. Ruth M. Stein (1982, September, p. 606) of Language Arts writes, “Funny, sad, wry, bitter, and just plain wistful, the selections pack a punch and connect in a way to hook kids on poetry, if any one book can.” Reviews of A Light in the Attic from fifteen different journals testify to the indisputable value of this book.