In her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse.

Growing up with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a mostly absent father, Nikki Grimes found herself terrorized by babysitters, shunted from foster family to foster family, and preyed upon by those she trusted. At the age of six, she poured her pain onto a piece of paper late one night - and discovered the magic and impact of writing. For many years, Nikki's notebooks were her most enduing companions. In this accessible and inspiring memoir that will resonate with young readers and adults alike, Nikki shows how the power of those words helped her conquer the hazards - ordinary and extraordinary - of her life.

Author: Nikki Grimes
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Wordsong
Published: 10/08/2019
Pages: 336
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9781629798813
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.5
Point Value: 4
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 507146 / Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir


Award: 2020 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book - Young Adult
Award: 2020 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Honor Book - Children's Book
Award: 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards Honor Book - Nonfiction


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 06/01/2019 pg. 76
Publishers Weekly 07/29/2019
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2019
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2019 pg. 111
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 10/01/2019 - Book Of Special Distinction
School Library Journal 10/01/2019 pg. 104
Shelf Awareness 11/26/2019
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2019 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, the ALA Children's Literature Legacy Award, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her books include her critically acclaimed memoir in verse Ordinary Hazards as well as picture books Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice and Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope. She won the Coretta Scott King Award for Bronx Masquerade and earned a Coretta Scott King Author Honor five times--for Words with Wings, Jazmin's Notebook, Dark Sons, Talkin' About Bessie, and The Road to Paris. Visit nikkigrimes.com