Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

I am born on a Tuesday at University Hospital
Columbus, Ohio,
USA --
a country caught

between Black and White.

Jacqueline Woodson's memoir written completely through poems tells of her childhood from being born in Ohio, living with her grandparents in South Carolina, and moving to New York City with her mother and siblings.  She spends her early years in the racially divided South where they march for equal rights.  Her grandmother gives her religion.  Her grandfather becomes her "Daddy".  She later moves to New York City just before starting school where she has problems reading quickly like the other kids.  Yet she wishes and dreams that one day she will be a writer . . .

Each day a new world
opens itself up to you. And all the worlds you are --

gather into one world

called You

where You decide

what each world
and each story
and each ending

will finally be.


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is the 2015 Coretta Scott King Author Medal winner for most distinguished book by an African-American author, a 2015 Newbery Award Honor Book for best book for children, and a 2015 Robert F. Sibert Award Honor Book for best information book for children and teens.

Pure Poetry: Novels in Verse

A book in verse can be a bare bones story while yet being extremely lyrical.  Here are some great examples of novels in verse for teens . . .

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones
A younger sister has a difficult time adjusting to life after her older sister has a mental breakdown.

Jimi & Me by Jaime Adoff
After his father's tragic death, twelve-year-old Keith James moves from Brooklyn to a small midwestern town where his mixed race heritage is not accepted, but he finds comfort in the music of Jimi Hendrix and the friendship of a white classmate.

By the River by Steven Herrick
A fourteen-year-old describes, through prose poems, his life in a small Australian town in 1962, where, since their mother's death, he and his brother have been mainly on their own to learn about life, death, and love.

Walking on Glass by Alma Fullerton
A teenage boy recounts, in a free verse journal, his attempts to come to terms with the realities of his mother's near-death coma.

Pure Poetry: Novels in Verse

April is celebrated as National Poetry Month.  In celebration, pick up a teen book written in verse . . .

The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick
A coming of age novel in verse about sixteen-year-old Billy who runs away from his alcoholic father, lives in an abandoned freight train, falls in love with a rich girl, and ultimately learns the meaning of family.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones
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.

The Brimstone Journals by Ronald Koertge
In a series of short interconnected poems, students at a high school nicknamed Brimstone reveal the violence existing and growing in their lives.

Three Rivers Rising: A Novel of the Johnstown Flood by Jame Richards
Sixteen-year-old Celestia is a wealthy member of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, where she meets and falls in love with Peter, a hired hand who lives in the valley below, and by the time of the torrential rains that lead to the disastrous Johnstown flood of 1889, she has been disowned by her family and is staying with him in Johnstown. Includes an author's note and historical timeline.

Coaltown Jesus by Ronald Koertge

"I would have been here sooner, but traffic on I-55 was awful."

Walker is shocked to find Jesus standing in the middle of his bedroom.  Granted he did pray for help for his mom who hasn't stopped crying since his brother died two months ago.  But he didn't expect Jesus to show up. 

And that's just the start. 

Jesus is determined to help Walker -- just not in the way he expects.  He wants him to adopt a dog.  He wants him to play basketball and hit on a pretty girl.  What he doesn't want is to reveal himself to Walker's mom.

This was a very interesting book on a boy dealing with issues of grief, religion, guilt, and family relationships.  It is a very quick read as it is written in verse.  Each poem is short and to the point while revealing a lot about Walker and his situation.