The Poet-Tree: Read a Novel in Verse

Check out these books written in verse . . . .

Inside Out and Back Again Thanhha Lai

Through a series of poems, a young girl chronicles the life-changing year of 1975, when she, her mother, and her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama.

T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte

When the Nazi party takes control of Germany, thirteen-year-old Paula, who is deaf, finds her world-as-she-knows-it turned upside down, as she is taken into hiding to protect her from the new law nicknamed T4.

Rhyme Schemer by K.A. Holt

A novel in verse about Kevin's journey from bully to being bullied, as he learns about friendship, family, and his talent for poetry.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health.

Reaching for the Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Josie, who lives with her mother and grandmother and has cerebral palsy, befriends a boy who moves into one of the rich houses behind her old farmhouse.

More Books --

Amber & Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz

Applesauce Weather by Helen Frost

The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan

Gone Fishing by Tamera Will Wissinger

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech

Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Turn the Tide by Elaine Dimopoulos

Unbound by Ann E. Burg

What About Will by Ellen Hopkins

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

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.