Poetry Month for Middle and High School Readers

 Poetry Month is a time to reintroduce the art of language to readers. In the middle and high school level, I am often met with groans and eye-rolls when the topic of poetry comes up, however, with these recommended books, I've been able to turn around the minds of even the most reluctant readers.  These writers are creating literary experiences for readers to celebrate ideas through language and those groans and eye-rolls turn into expressions of piqued curiosity and intrigue.

The poetry collection, Wearing My Mother’s Heart by Sophia Thakur is full of multigenerational voices of a grandmother, mother and daughter describing their experiences of being women through different lenses. This is recommended for middle grade readers and up. 

A non-fiction novel-in-verse, The Mysterious Virginia Hall World War II’s Most Dangerous Spy by Claudia Friddell is about an American woman who becomes a spy for the British during WWII. Her many aliases and missions are detailed with photographs and maps of her adventurous experiences. This is recommended for middle grade readers and up. 

Historical fiction novel-in-verse, One Step Forward by Marcie Flinchum Atkins, is about Matilda Young, a 15 year old girl who takes up the cause of suffrage in 1913 & becomes the youngest protestor to be arrested for it. Over the course of 7 years the reader goes with Matilda on her journey of activism. This is recommended for middle grade readers and up. 

Contemporary fiction novel-in-verse thriller, Blood Gone Cold by Katy Grant is about two quarreling sisters who are going through a home invasion at their family’s cabin in the woods. They must put their differences aside in order to survive. This book is a hi-Lo book in that it’s of high interest to young adults but is written at a lower, elementary reading level. 

Everything is Poison by Joy McCullough is a historical fiction story that takes place in Rome in the 1600s. 16 year old Carmela is finally old enough to work alongside her mother in the apothecary but soon learns that healing potions aren’t the only concoctions that are made there: poisons are also distributed to women who are in desperate need of them. This is a mixed-format book in that it is written in both novel-in-verse and prose and it is recommended for young adult readers and up. 

Away by Megan E. Freeman is the follow-up to her award-winning novel in verse, Alone. In Alone, there is an emergency evacuation of a town in Colorado while twelve year old, Maddie, gets left behind. For months without human contact, news or electricity, she, along with her dog, tries to survive and figure out what happened that sent her entire community far away. 

In Away, there are four teens who find one another while at the emergency evacuation camp and as they get to know one another, they uncover mysteries around the emergency. What information is being kept from the public and why?  This book is a mix of formats from verse to letters and scripts. It can be read as a stand alone story or as a sequel to Alone. Both books are recommeded for middle grade readers and up. 

 The contemporary, novel-in-verse, I Can't Even Think Straight by Dean Atta, tells the story of teenager, Kai, who is grappling with his identity. It's not easy because his best friends are giving him different kinds of advice:  does he stay closeted or share who he really is with his family and community?  Kai's journey gets even tougher when he falls for the new boy at school who returns his feelings.  Kai finds his way to deal with the consequences of his choices and faces his family and friends with renewed self-confidence. This book is recommeded for young adult readers and up. 

 The contemporary, novel-in-verse mystery, Wolfpack by Amelia Brunskill, captures the reader's attention immediately as one of the nine teenage girls living isolated from society in the woods disappears. Her fellow cult members, also teenage girls, are determined to uncover what happened to her. The story is told in alternating perspectives so the layers of what each person knows to be true are revealed, but only to the reader.  Will they find out if their missing friend left on purpose or did something or someone make them disappear? This book is recommended for young adult readers and up. 

Do you have any novels-in-verse that you'd recommend? Please share in the comments below and we can keep the conversation going.