12 Popular Novels in Verse to Celebrate National Poetry Month

For National Poetry Month, I like to highlight novels in verse in my classroom library.

I enjoy bringing novels in verse into the classroom because they’re flexible. They can discuss complicated emotions, historical events, or favorite memories. A novel in verse can be a celebration, eulogy, and manifesto all at once. Introducing students to this kind of writing can help them appreciate poetry in a different light.

From a curriculum perspective, novels in verse can help hit standards from a new angle, especially standards about text structure and point of view.

Here are some of my favorite novels in verse to highlight during National Poetry Month!

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My Introduction to Novels in Verse

These are the first novels in verse I remember reading. At the time, verse was a novel (get it?) storytelling method for me. I’ve never been much of a poet myself, but verse has a resonance that captures narrative in unique ways. Perhaps that’s why these novels in verse have stayed with me over the years!

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies and What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones are the first two novels in verse I remember reading. Both titles focus on high school students grappling with the challenges of growing up. Of the two, What My Mother Doesn’t Know stuck with me the most because I can remember being sixteen and feeling so misunderstood. Looking back, I now know that sense of angst isn’t unique, but in high school, it felt like no one else could ever possibly relate. I think that’s why I keep recommending this to students!

While Sones’ novels focus on one narrator each, The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan shifts through a large ensemble interlocking narrators. Each narrator connects to another and then appears through someone else’s perspective. In some ways, it’s a very low stress puzzle book, but in other ways, the stakes of high school are so relatable. I’m a huge David Levitan fan. In addition to The Realm of Possibility, I keep several of his other books in my classroom library: Boy Meets Boy, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (with Rachel Cohn), and the series Every Day.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins was another early novel in verse for me. Unlike Sones and Levithan’s books, I was initially skeptical of this one. After all, Crank is a series about a teenager’s drug addition. That wasn’t something I thought would resonate with me, but Hopkins’ writing is visceral and captivating. There’s a kind of rawness that keeps you reading. Hopkins also doesn’t shy away from or sugar coat intense topics even though her audience is often young adults. Hopkins’ other series are equally engrossing. I love the Impulse and Burned series, and People Kill People is on my TBR.

Contemporary Favorites

As a teacher, I am always looking to expand my reading list and to spotlight new novels and authors for my students. In the past few years, these are some of the novels in verse I’ve added to my classroom library.

First, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds has won all the awards for a reason! The entire story takes place on one elevator ride, but Reynolds keeps the adrenaline and suspense building even though readers know the ride has to end. There’s also a graphic novel version! Reynolds is one of the most popular writers in our school library. Some of my students’ favorite books include Ghost (in the Track series), All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely), and the poem For Every One. One of my favorite Reynolds’ books is Ain’t Burned All the Bright (illustrated by Jason Griffin), which weaves together images, photographs, and poetry.

The Poet X and Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo are two new classics. The Poet X captures the teenage tug between who you are, who you parents want you to be, and who you want to be. In the end, Xiomara (the poet “X,”, get it?) has to figure out how to use her voice to express and resolve that tension. Clap When You Land shares some of the same tensions, but the two points of view are really what made this book shine for me. It’s definitely a novel in verse focused on unity and healing.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is hugely popular with my students. This story about basketball, family, and storytelling is often described as a middle-grade novel; however, it’s a frequent recommendation for my reluctant readers. There’s also a graphic novel illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile! In addition, my students love Alexander’s Swing (with Mary Rand Hess), which often appeals to students interested in music and also has a romantic side.

A few years ago, I read Pride, a Pride and Prejudice remix by Ibi Zoboi. Eventually, that led me to Punching the Air (with Yusef Salaam), a novel in verse about a teen facing wrongful incarceration. Punching the Air captures the frustration of adolescence and compounds it with themes about racism, sexism, and gentrification. In some ways, this novel reminds me of an advanced version of Monster by Walter Dean Myers.

I first read The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba’s Greatest Abolitionist by Margarita Engle in a college course about young adult and children’s literature. Engle uses verse to tell the story of Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, also known as Tula, an abolitionist who used her poetry to fight against slavery. Of the poems in this book, the one I have taught most often is “Tula [‘Books are door shaped’].”

Memoirs in Verse

I love a good memoir, but that genre can often feel inaccessible to students. However, novels in verse can frame memoir in a new light and engage young readers in a new genre (or two) all at the same time. These are some of my favorite memoirs in verse.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson was the first memoir in verse that I ever read. At the time, it didn’t even register as Woodson’s memories; it was only later that I realized her words were her lived experience growing up during the 1960s and 70s. In part, the novel acts as a historical snapshot. I think seeing the Civil Rights Movement from two different perspectives–Woodson as a child and Woodson as an adult narrator–is part of what makes this such an excellent memoir.

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson is a memoir in verse that pairs with and builds on the message of her well-known novel Speak. I remember reading Speak in high school and being shocked by Melinda’s experiences and by her “friends'” reactions, but I also remember relating to her humor. As Speak celebrated its twentieth anniversary, Halse Anderson reacted by turning the volume into a Shout. Because the way we treat and talk about sexual assault has not changed, Halse Anderson used Shout to tell her own story and survivorship.

Apple: (Skin to the Core) by Eric Gansworth is the book that inspired this post! I just started reading this memoir in verse, and it’s been a gut punch. Gansworth describes his experiences as a Native American trying to find balance between two worlds. In describing his family, Gansworth also traces the legacy of assimilation programs like boarding schools. I have a lot left to read, but I’m looking forward to exploring more of Gansworth’s catalogue.

Moore Poetry Recommendations!