Books In Verse

Alas salvajes

Engle, Margarita,


"A partir de 12 años"--Dust jacket. Translation of: Wings in the wild. When a hurricane exposes Soleida's family's secret sculpture garden, the Cuban government arrests her artist parents, forcing her to escape alone to Central America where she meets Dariel, a Cuban American boy, and together they work to protect the environment and bring attention to the imprisoned artists in Cuba.
Date Published:2023

All the fighting parts

Sawyerr, Hannah V.,


In the wake of being sexually assaulted by her pastor, sixteen-year-old Amina struggles to regain her footing until she finds the strength within herself to confront her abuser in court.
Date Published:2023

An appetite for miracles

Kemp, Laekan Zea,


School Library Journal starred, April 2023. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre, April 2023. Publishers Weekly, February 2023. Kirkus Starred, February 2023. Booklist, March 2023. Horn Book, May 2023. With the help of her cousin and their friends, Danna scours the city, searching for her grandfather's favorite foods and hoping the remembered flavors will bring back his memories.
Date Published:2023

Ariel crashes a train

Cole, Olivia A.,


School Library Journal starred, February 2024. Booklist starred, February 2024. Pub Weekly, November 2023. Kirkus Starred, January 2024. Horn Book, May 2024. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), February 2024. Ariel grapples with her fear of her own mind and violent fantasies, driven by her desire to meet her parents' expectations and societal norms, until a summer job at a carnival leads her to new friends who help her discover her struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and find acceptance and support for her true self.
Date Published:2024

School Library Journal starred, February 2024. Booklist starred, February 2024. Pub Weekly, November 2023. Kirkus Starred, January 2024. Horn Book, May 2024. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), February 2024. Ariel grapples with her fear of her own mind and violent fantasies, driven by her desire to meet her parents' expectations and societal norms, until a summer job at a carnival leads her to new friends who help her discover her struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and find acceptance and support for her true self.

Date Published:2024

Audacious

Prendergast, Gabrielle,


School Library Journal, February 2014. Publisher's Weekly, September 2013. Booklist, November 2013. Kirkus Review, September 2013. Lonely high schooler and artist Ella moves to a new school where her drawings of her romantic feelings for a classmate become public and cause trouble for her.
Date Published:2013

Audacity

Crowder, Melanie,


School Library Journal starred, October 2014. Publisher's Weekly, November 2014. Kirkus Starred, October 2014. Booklist, December 2014. "A historical fiction novel in verse detailing the life of Clara Lemlich and her struggle for women's labor rights in the early 20th century in New York"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2015

Blood moon

Cuthew, Lucy,


School Library Journal starred, July 2020. Booklist starred, September 2020. Kirkus Starred, July 2020. Publishers Weekly Annex, August 2020. After school one day, physics lover and astronomy fan Frankie has her first sexual experience, with quiet and gorgeous Benjamin and gets her period. It's only blood, they agree. But soon a gruesome meme goes viral, turning an intimate, affectionate afternoon into something sordid, mortifying, and damaging. In the time it takes to swipe, Frankie's universe implodes. Who can she trust? Not Harriet, her suddenly cruel best friend, and certainly not Benjamin, the only one who knew about the incident. With the online shaming taking on a horrifying life of its own, Frankie begins wo wonder if her normal life is over"--Dust jacket.
Date Published:2020

School Library Journal starred, July 2020. Booklist starred, September 2020. Kirkus Starred, July 2020. Publishers Weekly Annex, August 2020. After school one day, physics lover and astronomy fan Frankie has her first sexual experience, with quiet and gorgeous Benjamin and gets her period. It's only blood, they agree. But soon a gruesome meme goes viral, turning an intimate, affectionate afternoon into something sordid, mortifying, and damaging. In the time it takes to swipe, Frankie's universe implodes. Who can she trust? Not Harriet, her suddenly cruel best friend, and certainly not Benjamin, the only one who knew about the incident. With the online shaming taking on a horrifying life of its own, Frankie begins wo wonder if her normal life is over"--Dust jacket.

Date Published:2020

Blood water paint

McCullough, Joy,


School Library Journal starred, January 2018. Booklist starred, October 2017. Bulletin (Center for Children's books), March 2018. Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.), February 2018. Kirkus Review, January 2018. In Renaissance Italy, Artemisia Gentileschi endures the subjugation of women that allows her father to take credit for her extraordinary paintings, rape and the ensuing trial, and torture, buoyed by her deceased mother's stories of strong women of the Bible.
Date Published:2018

School Library Journal starred, January 2018. Booklist starred, October 2017. Bulletin (Center for Children's books), March 2018. Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.), February 2018. Kirkus Review, January 2018. In Renaissance Italy, Artemisia Gentileschi endures the subjugation of women that allows her father to take credit for her extraordinary paintings, rape and the ensuing trial, and torture, buoyed by her deceased mother's stories of strong women of the Bible.

Date Published:2018

Booked

Alexander, Kwame,


Twelve-year-old Nick loves soccer and hates books, but soon learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams.
Date Published:2016

Brown girl dreaming

Woodson, Jacqueline,


Jacqueline Woodson shares her memories of growing up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s in both the North and the South at the time when the Civil Rights movement was gaining momentum.
Date Published:2014

Burned

Hopkins, Ellen,


Wilson's Senior High School, November 2006. School Library Journal, July 2006. Booklist, June 2006. Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.), June 2006. Kirkus Review, April 2006. Seventeen-year-old Pattyn, the eldest daughter in a large Mormon family, is sent to her aunt's Nevada ranch for the summer where she temporarily escapes her alcoholic, abusive father and finds love and acceptance, only to lose everything when she returns home.
Date Published:2007

Wilson's Senior High School, November 2006. School Library Journal, July 2006. Booklist, June 2006. Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.), June 2006. Kirkus Review, April 2006. Seventeen-year-old Pattyn, the eldest daughter in a large Mormon family, is sent to her aunt's Nevada ranch for the summer where she temporarily escapes her alcoholic, abusive father and finds love and acceptance, only to lose everything when she returns home.

Date Published:2007

Catch me if I fall

Seldeen, Claudia Recinos,


"Angela has been training on a trapeze since she was a child. She loves the dizzying heights . . . but she doesn't love the way her Guatemalan mother is always pushing her to train harder because 'immigrants have to try twice as hard just to shine half as bright.' When Angela's best friend introduces her to boxing, she finds something that makes her genuinely happy. There's no pressure to be graceful and no expectation to be perfect. But the more Angela practices boxing, the more she realizes her pursuit of happiness might risk her reputation for perfection. And if she's not the perfect daughter, then who is she?"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2023

"Angela has been training on a trapeze since she was a child. She loves the dizzying heights . . . but she doesn't love the way her Guatemalan mother is always pushing her to train harder because 'immigrants have to try twice as hard just to shine half as bright.' When Angela's best friend introduces her to boxing, she finds something that makes her genuinely happy. There's no pressure to be graceful and no expectation to be perfect. But the more Angela practices boxing, the more she realizes her pursuit of happiness might risk her reputation for perfection. And if she's not the perfect daughter, then who is she?"--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2023

Chlorine sky

Browne, Mahogany L.,


Kirkus Review, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Skyy and her best friend Lay Li have a falling out after a new boyfriend enters Lay Li's life. With an absent mother and no one to help her navigate her uncertain future, Skyy is forced to face a relationship with a new boyfriend alone and discover her self-worth in the process.
Date Published:2021

Crank

Hopkins, Ellen,


School Library Journal, November 2004. Publisher's Weekly, November 2004. Booklist, November 2004. Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.), February 2005. Kirkus Review, October 2004. Kliatt, September 2004. Kristina Georgia Snow's life is turned upside-down when she visits her absentee father, gets turned on to the drug "crank", becomes addicted, and is led down a desperate path that threatens her mind, soul, and her life.
Date Published:2013

School Library Journal, November 2004. Publisher's Weekly, November 2004. Booklist, November 2004. Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.), February 2005. Kirkus Review, October 2004. Kliatt, September 2004. Kristina Georgia Snow's life is turned upside-down when she visits her absentee father, gets turned on to the drug "crank", becomes addicted, and is led down a desperate path that threatens her mind, soul, and her life.

Date Published:2013

Criaturas isleñas

Engle, Margarita,


School Library Journal, June 2025. Cuban childhood friends Vida and Adn rediscover each other in Florida where they work together to protect endangered animals while navigating their complicated homelives.
Date Published:2025

Crush : love poems /

Alexander, Kwame,


School Library Journal starred, October 2007. A collection of thirty-three love-themed poems by Kwame Alexander.
Date Published:2007

The Dragons Club

Bermudez, Cyn, 1973-,


Includes excerpt from Watches and warnings by Ryan Wolf. Kirkus Reviews Starred, Having missed one too many days at her arts high school for violin due to her older sister's drug addition, Faith is given one last chance to keep her scholarship--she must enroll in the Dragons Club, a teen support group. At first apprehensive about talking to her classmates about her sister's problem, Faith soon finds herself connecting with the group in ways she never expected. Then, her sister's addiction gets even worse, and Faith will have to choose between being there for her or pursuing the life of music she wants.
Date Published:2023

Includes excerpt from Watches and warnings by Ryan Wolf. Kirkus Reviews Starred, Having missed one too many days at her arts high school for violin due to her older sister's drug addition, Faith is given one last chance to keep her scholarship--she must enroll in the Dragons Club, a teen support group. At first apprehensive about talking to her classmates about her sister's problem, Faith soon finds herself connecting with the group in ways she never expected. Then, her sister's addiction gets even worse, and Faith will have to choose between being there for her or pursuing the life of music she wants.

Date Published:2023

Enter the body

McCullough, Joy,


School Library Journal starred, April 2023. Booklist starred, March 2023. Horn Book Starred, March 2023. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre, March 2023. Publishers Weekly, January 2023. Library Media Connection starred, March 2023. In the room beneath a theater stage, the ghosts of Juliet, Ophelia, Cordelia, and other teenage girls who died tragically in Shakespeare's plays, share their experiences and trauma and get the chance to retell the stories of their lives in their own terms.
Date Published:2023

School Library Journal starred, April 2023. Booklist starred, March 2023. Horn Book Starred, March 2023. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre, March 2023. Publishers Weekly, January 2023. Library Media Connection starred, March 2023. In the room beneath a theater stage, the ghosts of Juliet, Ophelia, Cordelia, and other teenage girls who died tragically in Shakespeare's plays, share their experiences and trauma and get the chance to retell the stories of their lives in their own terms.

Date Published:2023

Every body looking

Iloh, Candice,


School Library Journal, September 2020. Booklist starred, August 2020. Kirkus Starred, August 2020. Publishers Weekly Annex, October 2020. "A mixed-heritage dancer's coming of age within the African diaspora is shaped by abuse at the hands of a cousin, her mother's descent into addiction, and her father's efforts to create a Nigerian-inspired home in America"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2020

Everything I know

Seldeen, Claudia Recinos,


School Library Journal, September 2023. "Mia's world crumbles when she finds out she has to move across the country. Mia's autism makes it hard to handle new situations. She struggles to relate to strangers and to make new friends. Everyone at Mia's old school was familiar with her autism. But life at her new school is different. Kids don't understand Mia's behaviors and needs. All her life, Mia has coped by relying on the familiar. She's made routines that get her through each day. But in this new city, her routines fall apart. How can Mia survive when she's so far away from everything she knows?"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2024

School Library Journal, September 2023. "Mia's world crumbles when she finds out she has to move across the country. Mia's autism makes it hard to handle new situations. She struggles to relate to strangers and to make new friends. Everyone at Mia's old school was familiar with her autism. But life at her new school is different. Kids don't understand Mia's behaviors and needs. All her life, Mia has coped by relying on the familiar. She's made routines that get her through each day. But in this new city, her routines fall apart. How can Mia survive when she's so far away from everything she knows?"--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2024