Poetry Collections | Novels in Verse
POETRY COLLECTION
A Planet Is a Poem
Amanda West Lewis, illustrated by Oliver Averill
Kids Can Press, Ltd
Nominated by: Katy K.
Come take a tour of our solar system where you’ll encounter familiar favorites (like Mercury, Venus, and Mars) and meet some less popular members too (like Arrokoth, the Kuiper Belt, and Planet X). Each planet’s story is told in a distinct poetic form, from sonnet to sestina to cinquain. And each page also includes a handy fold-out of extra information on planets and poetic forms. Looking for a stand-out poetry collection that’s educational to boot? This is your book.
Black Girl You Are Atlas
Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Kokila
Nominated by: Amie
Black Girl You Are Atlas is a thoughtful celebration of Black girlhood by award-winning author and poet Renée Watson. In this semi-autobiographical collection of poems, Renée Watson writes about her experience growing up as a young Black girl at the intersections of race, class, and gender. Using a variety of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Watson shares recollections of her childhood in Portland, tender odes to the Black women in her life, and urgent calls for Black girls to step into their power. Black Girl You Are Atlas encourages young readers to embrace their future with a strong sense of sisterhood and celebration. With full-color art by celebrated fine artist Ekua Holmes throughout, this collection offers guidance and is a gift for anyone who reads it.
Clara’s Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz
Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong; illus. by Frank Ramspott
Pomelo Books
Publisher/ Author Submission
Anthologies rarely contain so many invitations to scribble, doodle, imagine, and create as does CLARA’S KOOKY COMPENDIUM OF THIMBLETHOUGHTS AND WONDERFUZZ. The barely-there narrative of Clara working on writing assignments to submit to her fourth grade teacher provides a scaffold for this compilation of over one hundred poems on a myriad of kid-friendly topics. The poems are framed by “thimblethought” facts and “wonderfuzz” inquiries, along with illustrations, lists, and a scrapbook aesthetic. This is a welcome addition to a dozen other poetry anthologies by award-winning coauthors Sylvia and Janet, who have been writing together for over 20 years.
Grace Notes: Poems about Families
Naomi Shihab Nye
Greenwillow Books
Nominated by: Becky L.
Grace Notes is a beautifully written collection of poems about family, growing up, grief, and more. The poems span the spectrum of emotions and have an ease of rhythm that makes them flow naturally. Middle grade readers will find ordinary moments made special via Naomi Shihab Nye’s poems.
Haiku, Ew!: Celebrating the Disgusting Side of Nature
Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Julia Patton
Millbrook Press
Nominated by: Christopher Helton
Hold onto your hats, folks, because this book isn’t kidding—its haikus are truly gross! Learn how bee spit-up makes honey, lobster urine attracts mates, and how herrings toot to communicate with other members of their school. As they say, ignorance is bliss. Without revealing anything major, I will say that I’ll never look at koalas the same way again! While this book is yuck, it’s also a very engaging science read that nails the haiku format. Revolting, captivating reading fun.
Poetry Comics
Grant Snider
Chronicle Books
Nominated by: Katy Manck
Grant Snider’s poetry collection will fill the hearts and minds of kids everywhere. It’s a book that kids, classroom teachers, and parents will enjoy throughout the year. Each season delivers ponderable poems, adorable artwork, and topics deep in kids’ minds. I especially adore Snider’s thoughts about trees, feelings, cloud-watching, and growing up. Written and drawn in comic style, Snider’s thought-provoking poems, images, and colors that draw the readers’ attention to specific points. The last Winter poem is titled, “Into the Woods” brings it home.
Windsongs: Poems about Weather
Douglas Florian, illustrated by Douglas Florian
Beach Lane Books
Nominated by: MissRumphius
Learning about weather in science class? Want to inject rhymes and humor into your calendar/carpet time when talking about the upcoming weather? Look no further. Douglas Florian’s poems in WINDSONGS: POEMS ABOUT WEATHER will make you smile all the while thinking about the various weather-related vocabulary. There are no sidebars for scientific definitions to interrupt the flow from poem to poem, but the back matter does a good job of helping kids to understand the terms. I appreciate the terms touched upon via poems in WINDSONGS: weather, atmosphere, sun, cloud, rain, hurricane, hail, wind, frost, lightning, thunder, snow, tornado, fog, flood, drought, weather instruments, meteorologist, dew, and climate change. The final poem in this collection deals with climate change with the very last line, “Our blue planet Earth is all that we’ve got.” Lots of deep discussion can come from this collection. Florian’s fun kid-like artwork was created with gouache paint, colored pencils, and rubber stamps on primed paper bags. This book can also be used for a poem-a-day and for students who are creating their own poetry to define vocabulary.
NOVEL IN VERSE
And Then, Boom!
Lisa Fipps
Nancy Paulsen Books
Nominated by: Gina A.
The Printz honor-winning author of STARFISH returns with another compelling portrait of an honest experience of childhood trauma. The narrator, Joe Oak, abandoned by his mother and living unhoused with his grandmother, sees the world through the lens of crises: “and then—” inevitably followed by “BOOM!” Hope and resilience simmer at the root of Joe’s heartbreaking experiences with absent family, death, disaster, and poverty. The structures and conventions of poetry are employed to excellent effect without ever becoming didactic, creating a seamless narrative that readers will devour.
Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson
Ann E. Burg, illustrated by Ms. Sophie Blackall
Scholastic Press
Nominated by: G. Plastrik
This is a lyrical novel in verse about a historical figure, Rachel Carson. Her respect for nature spurred her to make her way in a male-dominated world. At a time when scientists typically wrote in difficult-to-understand language, Carson wrote for the world to understand and appreciate. Ann E. Burg’s beautiful writing is complemented by Sophie Blackall’s lovely drawings of the flora and fauna that inspired Rachel Carson.
Kareem Between
Shifa Saltagi Safadi
G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Nominated by: Christopher Helton
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi engages readers in the in-between world of childhood and adolescence. Kareem, a Syrian-American boy with immigrant parents dreams of becoming an NFL player. Through the lens of different football terms, Kareem experiences a bully who promises a chance in exchange for doing his schoolwork, learns that the US isn’t always a safe place for family and his culture. It’s about learning that not everything is in your control. Safadi has written an important story for middle grade readers based on true events and she’s created a related story for those readers. With themes of friendship, finding your voice and using it, and loss, the committee felt it should be on this year’s shortlist.
Louder Than Hunger
John Schu
Candlewick Press
Nominated by: Susan (Bloggin’ ’bout Books)
From the first question ”What if someone was brave enough to tell you the truth?” John Schu invites readers to be part of a story dealing with a very tough topic that was part of his own childhood experience. LOUDER THAN HUNGER is a powerful story dealing with a very tough subject, anorexia. I was with Jake, the main character throughout the story. Singing, skating, and helping people are things Jake likes to do. He volunteers at a nursing home and he loves being around his grandmother. His grandma gets Jake. They spend time together singing and watching movies. But Jake has a secret; he feels different and wants to disappear by not eating. That lands Jake in a residential treatment facility. He shares his story through a journal and the whitespace of the journals makes reading the story accessible and a way to digest a difficult topic. Schu weaves a poignant story in spare and lyrical language. The way the author checks in with readers in his author note makes readers feel like he is speaking directly to them. And Schu also provides a list of resources for readers. LOUDER THAN HUNGER is shortlisted for the way it engages readers on a very serious mental health condition with such readable honesty.
Mid-Air
Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff
Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Nominated by: Katy Manck
Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams is a poignant middle grade novel in verse that delves into the emotional journey of a 13 year old named Isaiah, who is grappling with the tragic loss of his best friend Darius. The narrative captures Isaiah’s struggle with grief, identity, and self acceptance, set against the backdrop of societal expectations and personal discovery. Williams’ verse writing allows for the reader to understand the range of emotions Isaiah feels, including pain, confusion and healing, making this book both an engaging and deeply moving read. With complex themes such as masculinity, racial and gender expression, and the process of grieving, this novel offers a nuanced and heartfelt exploration of growing up while navigating life’s challenges. Mid-Air will resonate with anyone who has faced grief or has struggled to find their place in the world. It is a must read for all ages, offering lessons in empathy, acceptance, and healing.
Sunrise Nights
Jeff Zentner and Brittany Cavallaro
Quill Tree Books
Nominated by: aquafortis
Two authors. Two points of view. One night that changes everything. Sunrise Nights is the perfect blend of adolescence, romance, art and poetry. The narrative unfolds over three consecutive years at an art camp where campers spend their final night exploring the town from dusk until dawn. Jude’s chosen form of art is photography, while Florence loves to dance. Jude struggles with anxiety and working through his parents’ divorce. Florence battles a degenerative eye condition that threatens her future in dance. When the two meet, they have a unique and instant connection, yet they still decide to cut off all interaction with each other once the sun rises. Each year they meet on this special night and connect with each other even deeper, yet there always seems to be something in the way of them truly being together. Over the course of time, Jude and Florence learn more about themselves, their art and each other, proving that connections can transcend time and distance, even in the face of personal challenges. Whether you are a fan of heartfelt romances, stories about self-discovery, or a fan of art and poetry, Sunrise Nights is a book that will linger in your heart long after the final page.
This Opening Sky
Kelly and Sherman Hollman, Charlotte Watson
Milk & Cookies
Nominated by: Joan Schoettler
Aurelia used to have it all. Now she’s a destitute orphan. Halle’s never had a thing. Now she’s free. Both are lone teenagers hoping to find someone they’ve lost. When Halle encounters a starving Aurelia and steps in to help, Aurelia realizes the two would fare better together. After all, there’s safety in numbers. With Halle’s know-how and Aurelia’s gun, the two could travel north. But Aurelia’s the daughter of former plantation owners. Halle’s a formerly enslaved girl. Will the two be able to look past their differences and work together to make a successful journey? The strength of this novel-in-verse lies in the distinct voices of its two main characters. Aurelia and Halle are unique and likeable, their trials and tribulations understandable. This historical fiction story of life in the American South just after the Emancipation Proclamation is a story that’s fresh and well told. Highly recommended.
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