Book Lists, Category, Contemporary, Poetry, Romance

YA in Verse

Posted onAuthorK. Imani Tennyson

April is National Poetry Month and I thought I’d highlight some amazing books. Novels in verse and YA poetry collections are becoming more popular as teens respond to the genre. I thought I’d share a few that I’ve read and loved.

The book cover shows two faces in profile. One looks up toward the left top corner. The other looks to the right center of the cover. They have long dark hair that is swirling and blowing in the wind. They have tiny dots under the eye that is visible. There is a dark reddish circle on their cheeks. On the left face, there are two hands painted on that circle. On the right face, there are two feathers. There are leaves that seem to be drawn in outline on their hair.Saints of the Household by Ari Tison

Max and Jay have always depended on one another for their survival. Growing up with a physically abusive father, the two Bribri American brothers have learned that the only way to protect themselves and their mother is to stick to a schedule and keep their heads down.

But when they hear a classmate in trouble in the woods, instinct takes over and they intervene, breaking up a fight and beating their high school’s star soccer player to a pulp. This act of violence threatens the brothers’ dreams for the future and their beliefs about who they are. As the true details of that fateful afternoon unfold over the course of the novel, Max and Jay grapple with the weight of their actions, their shifting relationship as brothers, and the realization that they may be more like their father than they thought. They’ll have to reach back to their Bribri roots to find their way forward.

Illustrated cover for Black Girl You Are Atlas. The cover looks like it has been pieced together from different colors and patterns of paper. The Black girl on the cover is shown from the shoulders up. She is looking directly at the viewer, and she has long black hair, blue eye shadow, pink lipstick, and large gold hoops. Her shirt is green, and there are some pink flowers in the bottom right corner.Black Girl You Are Atlas Renée Watson, Ekua Holmes (Illustrator)
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.

There are two young people leaning back to back. The young man is holding a guitar and playing. The young woman has her head tilted up and her eyes are closed. There is a huge moon and stars, but the sky is golden. There are lilies in front of them.An Appetite for Miracles by Laekan Zea Kemp

Danna Mendoza Villarreal’s grandfather is slowly losing himself as his memories fade, and Danna’s not sure her plan to help him remember through the foods he once reviewed will be enough to bring him back. Especially when her own love of food makes her complicated relationship with her mother even more difficult.

Raúl Santos has been lost ever since his mother was wrongly incarcerated two years ago. Playing guitar for the elderly has been his only escape, to help them remember and him forget. But when his mom unexpectedly comes back into his life, what is he supposed to do when she isn’t the same person who left?

When Danna and Raúl meet, sparks fly immediately and they embark on a mission to heal her grandfather … and themselves. Because healing is something best done together—even if it doesn’t always look the way we want it to.