Janet S. Wong - Author of Acclaimed Children's Books - Janet Wong's Books

So begins the title poem of this collection for young adults in which Janet S. Wong looks at driving as a metaphor for life. Through thirty-six poems that range in subject from passing the written driver's test and borrowing a car, to parallel parking and being pulled over by a cop, to car accidents and parents' anxieties, the poet succeeds in touching on all the subjects of concern to young people – love, death, hopes and dreams.

Comments from the Author

As a freshman at UCLA, I was a volunteer tutor with Prison Coalition. Each Thursday afternoon, a group of other students and I visited a juvenile detention center to read with the teenagers there. Week after week, I remember being asked to read the driver’s handbook. Page after page about speed limits and the right of way, deadly dull stuff, but those fourteen-year-old kids wanted to hear it over and over and over again. All they could think of was driving – and freedom!

When I decided I wanted to write a "teen" book, I remembered this experience, and chose to focus on driving. But as I wrote the poems for Behind the Wheel, I realized how much driving is a metaphor for life. Just as in driving, in life you’re wise to repay the kindness shown to you, "to thank the old lady who lets you in." You had better not "steal someone else’s spot," particularly in a mall parking lot during the holidays. And you’re better off, always, if you "keep your eye on your rear." Wishing you a safe journey, wherever you’re headed!

Awards and Honors

American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists
Booklist Star
ALA/YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers

Reviews and Comments

"[R]eflective...conversational and unfussy...Wong relies on telling particulars rather than heavy universals, as in a poem about family: 'Sometimes you wonder if they care, But when you mess up – WOOMPH! – they're there, like air bags, in your face.'
– Horn Book

"Wong uses simple, personal free verse to explore the spaces between family and self, this time through distilled moments in the car and on the road. . .Wong's brief, clear lines will be accessible even to the most reluctant poetry readers, and readers of all ages will be moved by the intersection of poignancy and humor as she describes the thrilling freedom of the car and an emerging adult's awareness that, although she's traveled, her road still leads to home."
–Booklist

Ordering Information

Behind the Wheel: Poems about Driving
By Janet S. Wong
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ISBN: 0-689-82531-5

This book is available at your local independent children's book store or online at:


		Behind the Wheel Poems about Driving Forget kindergarten, sharing. Everything you need to know you learn right here behind the wheel.
				Click here to read an excerpt or two from this book.
		So begins the title poem of this collection for young adults in which Janet S. Wong looks at driving as a metaphor for life. Through thirty-six poems that range in subject from passing the written driver's test and borrowing a car, to parallel parking and being pulled over by a cop, to car accidents and parents' anxieties, the poet succeeds in touching on all the subjects of concern to young people – love, death, hopes and dreams. Comments from the Author As a freshman at UCLA, I was a volunteer tutor with Prison Coalition. Each Thursday afternoon, a group of other students and I visited a juvenile detention center to read with the teenagers there. Week after week, I remember being asked to read the driver’s handbook. Page after page about speed limits and the right of way, deadly dull stuff, but those fourteen-year-old kids wanted to hear it over and over and over again. All they could think of was driving – and freedom! When I decided I wanted to write a "teen" book, I remembered this experience, and chose to focus on driving. But as I wrote the poems for Behind the Wheel, I realized how much driving is a metaphor for life. Just as in driving, in life you’re wise to repay the kindness shown to you, "to thank the old lady who lets you in." You had better not "steal someone else’s spot," particularly in a mall parking lot during the holidays. And you’re better off, always, if you "keep your eye on your rear." Wishing you a safe journey, wherever you’re headed! Awards and Honors American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists Booklist Star ALA/YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers Reviews and Comments "[R]eflective...conversational and unfussy...Wong relies on telling particulars rather than heavy universals, as in a poem about family: 'Sometimes you wonder if they care, But when you mess up – WOOMPH! – they're there, like air bags, in your face.' – Horn Book "Wong uses simple, personal free verse to explore the spaces between family and self, this time through distilled moments in the car and on the road. . .Wong's brief, clear lines will be accessible even to the most reluctant poetry readers, and readers of all ages will be moved by the intersection of poignancy and humor as she describes the thrilling freedom of the car and an emerging adult's awareness that, although she's traveled, her road still leads to home." –Booklist Ordering Information Behind the Wheel: Poems about Driving By Janet S. Wong Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing ISBN: 0-689-82531-5 This book is available at your local independent children's book store or online at: eToys.com BookSense.com
		Copyright © 1999 Janet S. Wong. All Rights Reserved.