Kids who are convinced that they hate poetry or think it's dull and difficult, are likely to change their opinions when they open this book. Using examples that range from exciting, well-told stories that grip the imagination to song lyrics and slam poetry, the author shows that there is more to poetry than many imagine. This revised and updated edition guides middle school and high school students through poetry created for many purposes and written in many forms, and offers insights, guidelines, and techniques to enable students to read and evaluate poems, as well as to write original poetry. Titles in Barron's Painless series cover a wide range of subjects taught in middle school and high school, presenting each subject in a student-friendly format, and demonstrating that learning can be exciting and mind-expanding.