Order History
Premium Membership & Rewards
Help Center / FAQ
5 Verse Novels to Instill a Love of Poetry in Young Readers
April is National Poetry Month.
Wait. Wait! Don’t scroll past. Don’t move on. I know. I know. Like many, if it’s not a haiku, my reaction to the mere mention of poetry is to place my fingers in my ears and lalala my way through the conversation.
Somewhere in school, in between the study of Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses and the beautiful command of Maya Angelou’s work, a lot of us learn to believe poetry is pretentious and inaccessible. The bleak memories of that “in-between” start flooding in. Iambic pentameter. Sestinas. The dull drone of some gray-haired English teacher assigning an ancient tome of lovesick sonnets.
I propose a new “in-between” for young readers. The perfect passageway to an appreciation of poetry (and a re-entry for those who, like me, wish to find their way back in): It’s called the verse novel. And here are a few of my favorites.
Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose
A story of the lost colony of Roanoke, this novel takes place in 1587 and follows the friendship of two spirited, young girls, Alis, the only English girl to arrive on the island of Roanoke and, Kimi, a member of the Roanoke tribe. When tensions rise between the English and the Roanoke, war is waged, and these girls find one another and make room in their hearts for understanding and friendship. Caroline Starr Rose’s powerful story is rich with historical detail and alternates between the two girl’s voices with spare and beautiful prose.
Ships in 1-2 days.
Serafina’s Promise by Ann E. Burg
This exquisite story by Ann E. Burg is about eleven-year-old Serafina, who lives in a rural village in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and dreams of becoming a doctor. With little money or resources but lots of hope and resolve, Serafina must overcome the forces of nature that destroy her home and devastate her country. This unforgettable story will break your heart open, and then stitch it back together again.
Ships in 1-2 days.
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
The 2015 Newbery Medal Winner, The Crossover is the story of twins Josh and Jordan, junior high basketball stars, who begin to grow apart when Jordan starts dating a new girl. As the balance shifts, rules on and off the court come into question and the bonds of family become more important than ever. Like the smack and dribble of a basketball, Alexander’s poetry is rhythm and music in syncopation on the page.
Red Butterfly by A.L. Sonnichsen
Set in Tianjin, China, Kara is mostly confined to the small apartment she shares with her mother, the elderly American woman who raised her after she was abandoned as an infant. As secrets unravel, Kara finds herself in an orphanage, caught between a complicated adoption system and two families who want to give her a home. Along with Amy June Bates’ black and white illustrations, Sonnichsen’s first novel tells a moving, lyrical tale of love, family, and finding the wings to be free.
Ships in 1-2 days.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
This National Book Award winner tells Woodson’s story in a series of poems. Her skillful, textured narrative of memory and reflection brings us to the civil rights movement of the 60’s and 70’s, and a life split between South Carolina and Brooklyn. Searching for her place in the world, Woodson finds her voice through a love of writing and story, and we witness her self-discovery in seamless, flowing prose.
Do you have a favorite verse novel?