Staff Picks
World Poetry Day: Young Adult Collections and Novels in Verse
Collection
March 21 is World Poetry Day, and what better way to celebrate than to absorb some poems? These picks include poetry collections as well as novels in verse. Sit back and prepare to be transported.
Poemhood
Our Black Revival
Published in 2024
Featuring contributions from an award-winning, bestselling group of Black voices, past and present, this powerful poetry anthology elicits vital conversations about race, belonging, history and faith to highlight Black joy and pain.
Respect the Mic
Celebrating 20 Years of Poetry from a Chicagoland High School
Published in 2022
Curated by award-winning and best-selling poets, this wide-ranging poetry anthology represents twenty years of poetry from the students and alumni of Chicago's Oak Park River Forest High School Spoken Word Club.
You Hear Me?
Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys
Published in 2001
An anthology of stories, poems, and essays by adolescent boys on issues that concern them.
Clap when You Land
Published in 2020
Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people ... In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal's office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance -- and Papi's secrets -- the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they've lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.
Inheritance
A Visual Poem
Published in 2022
"In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpré-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the complexities of Black hair and Afro-Latinidad--the history, pain, pride, and powerful love of that inheritance. Paired with full-color illustrations by artist Andrea Pippins in a format that will appeal to fans of Mahogany L. Browne's Black Girl Magic or Jason Reynolds's For Everyone, this poem can now be read in a vibrant package, making it the ideal gift, treasure, or inspiration for readers of any age." --provided by Goodreads.
The Poet X
A Novel
Published in 2020
"Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, Xiomara Batista has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. She pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers--especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. Mami is determined to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, and Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. When she is invited to join her school's slam poetry club, she can't stop thinking about performing her poems." --Cover.
Solo
Published in 2017
Seventeen-year-old Blade endeavors to resolve painful issues from his past and navigate the challenges of his former rockstar father's addictions, scathing tabloid rumors, and a protected secret that threatens his own identity.
Swing
Published in 2018
"Noah and his best friend Walt want to become cool, make the baseball team, and win over Sam, the girl Noah has loved for years. When Noah finds old love letters, Walt hatches a plan to woo Sam. But as Noah's love life and Walt's baseball career begin, the letters alter everything"-- Provided by publisher.
Knocking on Windows
A Memoir
Published in 2025
"Acclaimed author Jeannine Atkins tells her story in this brave and powerful memoir-in-verse about memory, healing, and finding her voice as a writer, perfect for fans of Amber Smith and Speak. Six weeks after the start of her freshman year of college, Jeannine Atkins finds herself back in her childhood bedroom after an unimaginable trauma. Now back home in Massachusetts, she's struggling to reclaim her life and her voice. Seeking comfort in the words of women, she turns to the lives and stories of SylviaPlath, Maya Angelou, and Emily Dickinson. Through raw and poignant letter-poems addressed to these literary giants, Jeannine finds that the process of writing and reflecting has become not only a means of survival but the catalyst for a burgeoning writing career. Inspired and ready to move forward, she enrolls in her state university, where she feeds her growing passion for writing in fiction seminars. But she finds that she's unable to escape the pervasive misogyny of her classmates and professors, whochallenge her to assert her own voice against a backdrop of disbelief and minimalization. This time, though, Jeannine is not willing to go down without a fight. A searingly honest memoir told through gorgeous verse, Knocking on Windows stands as a beaconof hope and a celebration of the enduring spirit of survivors of sexual assault--and of writers"-- Provided by publisher.
The Black Flamingo
Published in 2020
"Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he's navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican--but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough. As he gets older, Michael's coming out is only the start of learning who he is and where he fits in. When he discovers the Drag Society, he finally finds where he belongs--and the Black Flamingo is born. Told with raw honesty, insight, and lyricism, this debut explores the layers of identity that make us who we are--and allow us to shine"--FantasticFiction.com.
If You Knew My Name
Published in 2024
His mother is a BLM activist. Mason Tyndall is an aspiring rap artist whose mother is a BLM activist. She saw fatal officer-involved shootings as senseless tragedies. He viewed them as trending hashtags--that is, until he almost became one. Mason Zy'Aire Tyndall has big dreams. Dreams of sick beats, epic mic-drops, sold out stadiums. Mason's going to be a rap star--and you don't become a rap star by hitting up BLM protests with your mom or sitting at a desk. Mason wants to get out there and make a name for himself, but he'll have to graduate high school first. And he can't do that if he fails his senior year. Convinced his poetry class is a waste of time, Mason's teacher helps him see just how valuable a couplet and a rhyme can be. But when an unarmed Black man is killed by the police in his city, tensions start to rise--among the cops, the community, and even Mason's peers. Caught in the middle of increasingly violent conflicts, Mason will have to find a way to use his voice for change...and fast.
Moonrise
Published in 2018
With little money or support, Joe Moon, seventeen, travels to Texas to help the older brother he barely knows through his last few weeks before being executed for murder.
Blood Moon
Published in 2020
"After school one day, Frankie, a lover of physics and astronomy, has her first sexual experience with quiet and gorgeous Benjamin - and gets her period. It's only blood, they agree. But soon a gruesome meme goes viral, turning an intimate, affectionate afternoon into something sordid, mortifying, and damaging. In the time it takes to swipe a screen, Frankie's universe implodes. Who can she trust? Not Harriet, her suddenly cruel best friend, and certainly not Benjamin, the only one who knows about the incident. As the online shaming takes on a horrifying life of its own, Frankie begins to wonder: is her real life over?" --Amazon.
500 Words or Less
Published in 2018
High school senior Nic, seventeen, tries to salvage her tattered reputation by helping her Ivy League-obsessed classmates with college admission essays and finds herself in the process.
Voices
The Final Hours of Joan of Arc
Published in 2019
"David Elliott explores how Joan of Arc changed the course of history and remains a figure of fascination centuries after her extraordinary life and death in a fiery, evocative novel-in-verse."--Provided by publisher.
Say Her Name
Published in 2020
"Inspired by the #SayHerName campaign launched by the African American Policy Forum, these poems pay tribute to victims of police brutality as well as the activists insisting that Black Lives Matter. Elliott engages poets from the past two centuries to create a chorus of voices celebrating the creativity, resilience, and courage of Black women and girls." -- Amazon.com
Silver People
Voices from the Panama Canal
Published in 2014
Fourteen-year-old Mateo and other Caribbean islanders face discrimination, segregation, and harsh working conditions when American recruiters lure them to the Panamanian rain forest in 1906 to build the great canal.
Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling
Published in 2014
In this novel in verse, two very different girls bond while hospitalized for Crohn's disease.
Apple
Skin to the Core
Published in 2020
"The term 'Apple' is a slur in Native communities across the country. It's for someone supposedly 'red on the outside, white on the inside.' Eric Gansworth is telling his story in Apple (Skin to the Core). The story of his family, of Onondaga among Tuscaroras, of Native folks everywhere. From the horrible legacy of the government boarding schools, to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist who balances multiple worlds. Eric shatters that slur and reclaims it in verse and prose and imagery that truly lives up to the word heartbreaking"-- Inside front jacket flap.
King of the Neuro Verse
Published in 2025
"When the world is going faster than you, and the hands are squeezing, and you want to scream through somebody's face, you have to just speak it out, breathe -- don't hold back. For the third summer in a row, Pernell is back in the classroom, facing the same struggles that have always made school seem more like a battlefield than a place of learning. This summer is different, though: he's battling to become the Cypher King, leader of the lunchroom's impromptu rap circles. Here, the rhythm flows and the words fly, creating a space where the most witty and rhythmically inclined reign supreme. Here, Pernell's ADHD gives him an edge. But life outside the cypher isn't as forgiving. Pernell's English teacher has it out for him. His parents are pressuring him to see a doctor for his lack of focus. And Electra, his friend-crush and the only one who truly gets him, is too busy chasing her dream internship to give him the time of day. In a world where the systems are turned against kids like him, Pernell needs to find a way to succeed with his ADHD, not in spite of it" -- Jacket flap.
Bronx Masquerade
Published in 2002
While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poems they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their formerly clueless classmates.
Ask Me How I Got Here
Published in 2016
Addie struggles with depression when she becomes pregnant and makes the difficult choice to have an abortion.
Crank
Published in 2010
Kristina is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. Then she meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild ride turns into a struggle for her mind, her soul--her life. Ellen Hopkins, whom mediabistro.com has called "the bestselling living poet in the country," exploded onto the young adult scene with her first novel, Crank, which has become a national bestseller. School Library Journal acclaims Crank as "a stunning portrayal of a teen's loss of direction and realistically uncertain future." Publishers Weekly raves, "[Hopkins] creates a world nearly as consuming and disturbing as the titular drug." Crank is a transfixing look into the tortured lives of addicts and the people who love them--Back cover.
Tricks
Published in 2009
Five troubled teenagers fall into prostitution as they search for freedom, safety, community, family, and love.
Skyscraping
Published in 2015
In 1993 in New York City, high school senior Mira uncovers many secrets, including that her father has a male lover.
Knucklehead
Poems
Published in 2025
"While society often assigns the label 'knucklehead' to kids with attitude problems, this . . . poetry collection by spoken word poet and hip-hop educator Tony Keith Jr. subverts that narrow way of thinking and empathizes with young people who are misunderstood and unheard. There are poems about the power of language to transcend the racist and homophobic constructs of a society prejudging Black boys. There are poems that serve as a salve for a world that inflicts hurt, poems that offer a beacon of hope for the curious and questioning, and poems that transform the way people love Black gay boys and men. This is a journey of self-discovery through history, family, friendship, and falling in love"--Provided by publisher.
Up from the Sea
Published in 2016
A novel in verse about the March 2011 tsunami that sent Japan into chaos, told from the point-of-view of Kai, a biracial teenaged boy.
And We Rise
The Civil Rights Movement in Poems
Published in 2022
"A powerful, impactful, eye-opening journey that explores through the Civil Rights Movement in 1950s-1960s America in spare and evocative verse, with historical photos interspersed throughout. In stunning verse and vivid use of white space, Erica Martin's debut poetry collection walks readers through the Civil Rights Movement-from the well-documented events that shaped the nation's treatment of Black people, beginning with the "Separate but Equal" ruling-and introduces lesser-known figures and moments that were just as crucial to the Movement and our nation's centuries-long fight for justice and equality. A poignant, powerful, all-too-timely collection that is both a vital history lesson and much-needed conversation starter in our modern world. Complete with historical photographs, author's note, chronology of events, research, and sources"-- Provided by publisher.
Me (Moth)
Published in 2021
Moth, who lost her family in an accident, and Sani, who is battling ongoing depression, take a road trip that has them chasing ghosts and searching for ancestors, which helps them move forward in surprising, powerful and unforgettable ways.
Under the Mesquite
Published in 2011
Lupita, the oldest of eight siblings, is used to taking the lead - and staying busy behind the scenes to help keep everyone together. But when she discover Mami has been diagnosed with cancer, Lupita is terrified by the possibility of losing her mother, the anchor of their close-knit Mexican American family. Suddenly Lupita must face a whole new set of challenges, with must face a whole new set of challenges, with new roles to play, and no one is handing her the script. In the midst of juggling high school classes, finding her voice as an actress, and dealing with friends who don't always understand, Lupita desperately wants to support Mami in whatever way she can. While Papi is preoccupied with caring for Mami, Lupita takes charge of her siblings. As Lupita struggles to keep the family afloat, she escapes the chaos at home by writing in the shade of a mesquite tree. Overwhelmed by change, she seeks refuge in the healing power of words. Told with honest emotion in evocative free verse, Lupita's journey is both heart-wrenching and hopeful. Under the Mesquite is an empowering story about the testing of family bonds, the strength of a teenage girl navigating pain and hardship with surprising resilience, and the kind of love that cannot be uprooted. -- From dust jacket.
Street Love
Published in 2006
This story told in free verse is set against a background of street gangs and poverty in Harlem in which seventeen-year-old African American Damien takes a bold step to ensure that he and his new love will not be separated.
Augusta Savage
The Shape of a Sculptor's Life
Published in 2022
"A powerful biography in poems about Augusta Savage, the trailblazing artist and pillar of the Harlem Renaissance-with an afterword by the curator of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture"-- Provided by publisher
October Mourning
A Song for Matthew Shepard
Published in 2012
One the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one-year-old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard was lured from a bar by two young men, then savagely beaten, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, and left to die. Five days later, Lesléa Newman arrived on campus to give the keynote speech for University of Wyoming's Gay Awareness Week. October Mourning is Lesléa Newman's deeply personal response to the events of that tragic day and its brutal aftermath. This work of poetic imagination explores the impact of the vicious crime through fictitiuos monologues from various points of view, including the fence to which Matthew was tied, the deer that kept watch beside him, and even Matthew himself. This stunning cycle of sixty-eight poems serves as an illumination for readers too young to remember and as a powerful, enduring tribute to Matthew Shepard's life and legacy. -- From dust jacket.
Bridge Across the Sky
Published in 2024
In 1924 at the Angel Island Immigration Station, teen Chinese immigrant Soo Tai Go is awakened to the political realities of his new home as he waits to find out if he and his family will be allowed into the country.
Abuela, Don't Forget Me
Published in 2022
"Rex Ogle's companion to Free Lunch and Punching Bag weaves humor, heartbreak, and hope into life-affirming poems that honor his grandmother's legacy. In his award-winning memoir Free Lunch, Rex Ogle's abuela features as a source of love and support. In this companion-in-verse, Rex captures and celebrates the powerful presence a woman he could always count on-to give him warm hugs and ear kisses, to teach him precious words in Spanish, to bring him to the library where he could take out as many books as he wanted, and to offer safety when darkness closed in. Throughout a coming of age marked by violence and dysfunction, Abuela's red-brick house in Abilene, Texas, offered Rex the possibility of home, and Abuela herself the possibility for a better life. Abuela, Don't Forget Me is a lyrical portrait of the transformative and towering woman who believed in Rex even when he didn't yet know how to believe in himself"-- Provided by publisher.
Ain't Burned All the Bright
Published in 2022
"jason reynolds, using three longggggggg sentences, and jason griffin, using three hundred pages of a pocket-size moleskine, have mind-melded this fierce-vulnerable-brilliant-terrifying-whatiswrongwithhumans-hopefilled-hopeful-tender-heartbreaking-heartmaking manifesto on what it means not to be able to breathe, and how the people and things at your fingertips are actually the oxygen you most need"--Dust jacket.
Long Way Down
Published in 2017
As Will, fifteen, sets out to avenge his brother Shawn's fatal shooting, seven ghosts who knew Shawn board the elevator and reveal truths Will needs to know.
All the Fighting Parts
Published in 2023
In the wake of being sexually assaulted by her pastor, sixteen-year-old Amina struggles to regain her footing until she finds the strength within herself to confront her abuser in court.
Truth is
Published in 2025
Seventeen-year-old Truth uses slam poetry to address her personal struggles with college, relationships, and an unexpected pregnancy, but she never intended for a video of her poem to go viral.
Light Enough to Float
Published in 2024
"The story of a teenage girl's recovery, in a psychiatric hospital, from anorexia, told in poetry"-- Provided by publisher.
The Unboxing of a Black Girl
Published in 2024
"Set in New York City in the '90s, Angela Shanté's poems and stories paint a mosaic of childhood that is shaped by the past and reverberates into the present. As Shanté navigates the city through memory, this timeless book illuminates the places where Black girls are nurtured or boxed in, through stories and poems about expectations, exploitation, love, loss, and self-realization. Her poems center on pivotal moments of Black childhood, using footnotes that encourage you to listen to songs, watch movies, and even learn how to play Spades to further contextualize and celebrate Black culture in every aspect of life. But even with Black joy, life ain't no crystal stair. Between fond memories, Shanté also explores the dark corners of childhood by showing us the ways adultification, misogynoir, and sexual assault can impact girlhood. Every piece in this memoir invites you to unpack the past--to find and transcend the expectations and boxes the world puts Black girls in"-- Book jacket.
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
Published in 2004
Fifteen-year-old Ruby Milliken leaves her best friend, her boyfriend, her aunt, and her mother's grave in Boston and reluctantly flies to Los Angeles to live with her father, a famous movie star who divorced her mother before Ruby was born. My name is Ruby This book is about me. It tells the deeply hideous story of what happens when my mother dies and I'm dragged three thousand miles away from my gorgeous boyfriend, Ray, to live in L.A. with my father, who I've never even met because he's such a scumbag that he divorced my mom before I was born. The only way I've ever even seen him is in the movies, since he's this mega-famous actor who's been way too busy trying to win Oscars to even visit me once in fifteen years. Everyone loves my father. Everyone but me.
What My Mother Doesn't Know
Published in 2001
Sophie describes her relationships with a series of boys as she searches for Mr. Right.
Saving Red
Published in 2016
A novel in verse follows the experiences of Molly, who is forced to confront painful realities in her own life while struggling to help a spirited but mentally ill homeless girl during the holiday season.
Somebody Give This Heart a Pen
Published in 2020
"In her publishing debut, internationally acclaimed performance poet Sophia Thakur takes you on an intimate journey through love, loss, sacrifice, and self-discovery. In four parts -- titled Grow, Wait, Break, and Grow Again -- she shares her raw self and gives voice to experiences that connect people, inspiring readers to explore the tendencies of the heart." -- Provided by publisher.
A Time to Dance
Published in 2014
The moving story of a dancer who refusts to give up after losing her leg. Veda, a classical dance prodigy in Inida, lives and breathes dance--so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who's grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her diasbility rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her. Padma Venkatraman's inspiring story of a young girl's struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient Bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit. -- From dust jacket.
A Second Chance on Earth
Published in 2024
"When sixteen-year-old Marcos travels to Cartagena, Colombia, to scatter his late father's ashes, he strikes up a friendship with Camilo, a boy his age who works as a local taxi driver and shares Marcos' love for the novel One Hundred Years of Solitude"-- Provided by publisher.
Black Girl You Are Atlas
Published in 2024
"Poet Renée Watson looks back at her childhood and urges readers to look forward at their futures with love, understanding, and celebration in this fully illustrated poetry collection"-- Provided by publisher.
The Watch That Ends the Night
Voices from the Titanic
Published in 2011
Recreates the 1912 sinking of the Titanic as observed by millionaire John Jacob Astor, a beautiful young Lebanese refugee finding first love, "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, Captain Smith, and others including the iceberg itself.
Make Lemonade
Published in 1993
Punching the Air
Published in 2020
From award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five comes a powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. "The story that I thought was my life didn't start on the day I was born." Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he's seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. "Boys just being boys" turns out to be true only when those boys are white. The story that I think will be my life starts today. Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal's bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn't commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it. With spellbinding lyricism, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam tell a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth, in a system designed to strip him of both.
(S)kin
Published in 2025
Fifteen-year-old Marisol, who sheds her skin every new moon and shifts into a fireball witch, is connected by a family secret to 17-year-old Genevieve, who reaches for some memory of her estranged mother, in a novel in verse based on Caribbean folklore.
Star Child
A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler
Published in 2022
"From the New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, a biography in verse and prose of science fiction visionary Octavia Butler. Acclaimed novelist Ibi Zoboi illuminates the young life of the visionary storyteller Octavia E. Butler in poems and prose. Born into the Space Race, the Red Scare, and the dawning Civil Rights Movement, Butler experienced an American childhood that shaped her into the groundbreaking science-fiction storyteller whose novels continue to challenge and delight readers fifteen years after her death"-- Provided by publisher