Poetic Teen Novels

Poems are like stories in themselves, but even more extraordinary to me is when an entire novel can be written as a poem. It’s like meditating about a character or experience, and I love how easy it is for my eyes to travel across the sparsely-filled pages, absorbing so much with so few words.

There are a multitude of young adult choices of YA books in verse, which is not only great for an introduction to poetry, but also simply for a fast read that doesn’t lack complex characters or plot. Take Sonya Sones’ works, for instance. In One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother DiesSones makes some witty and unique observations in brief poetic lines, exploring themes of friendship, betrayal, and parent-child relationships with humor and thoughtfulness.

Another memorable title is Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolf, in which the verse gives readers and immediacy and deep connection to LaVaughn, who is determined, smart and learning about the world through her dedication and love of a single teen mom she helps named Jolly. The story of perseverance and friendship continues in the Make Lemonade trilogy, too

Many other young adult novels in verse have stuck with me for years because of their resonating voice; I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.