Happy poetry month! Every year, my town goes all out to celebrate verse, thanks to a local writing and performance group. They team up with area businesses to bring a “One Poet, One City,” and this year’s poet is Gwendolyn Brooks. The coffee shop’s sleeves have her poetry on them, there’s a poetry and yoga event, there are poems plastered in business windows, and more. I’ve always been a poetry fan and a writer of poetry myself, which is part of why I’m so drawn to these novels. With the enthusiasm hitting me everywhere I go in town, I’m feeling the verse fever especially strong this year.
There’s already been at least one powerhouse of a verse book published this year. Laurie Halse Anderson’s SHOUT has earned a ton of stars, and rightly show: it’s a gut punch of a book about sexual assault, survival, and the freedom of speech. But what other YA books have hit shelves this year — or will hit shelves before the end of the year — should be on your radar? I’ve done my best to round up everything I could find when it comes to 2019 YA books in verse.
When I’ve done these before, I’ve called them YA novels in verse. But this year, since verse is showing itself in nonfiction memoirs (yes, plural!), I’m going with the broader description of YA books in verse. Likewise, a couple of these are straight-up poetry collections.
This list is likely incomplete. It reflects what I’ve found in my own searching. If you know of other YA books in verse hitting shelves this year, please drop the titles in the comments. And just for fun, I have a couple of 2020 releases included as well.
Descriptions come from Goodreads.
If you’ve never read a book in verse, this might be the year you should start. Any of these would be a great first pick.
2019 YA Books in Verse
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta (No cover yet, August)
Fiercely told, this is a timely coming-of-age story, told in verse about the journey to self-acceptance. Perfect for fans of Sarah Crossan, Poet X and Orangeboy.
A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen – then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo. A bold story about the power of embracing your uniqueness. Sometimes, we need to take charge, to stand up wearing pink feathers – to show ourselves to the world in bold colour.
*I masquerade in makeup and feathers and I am applauded.*
Note: This might be a UK-only release.
I Don’t Want To Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz (Available now)
This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities — freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she revelled in the independence . . . but as pressures increased, she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and physically incapacitated. Thus began a hard road of discovery and coping, powerfully rendered in this poetry memoir.
Note: This is a rerelease of a book originally published in 2016. It has an updated, timely author’s note.
In Paris With You by Clémentine Beauvais, translated by Sam Taylor (Available Now)
Eugene and Tatiana had fallen in love that summer ten years ago. But certain events stopped them from getting to truly know each other and they separated never knowing what could have been.
But one busy morning on the Paris metro, Eugene and Tatiana meet again, no longer the same teenagers they once were.
What happened during that summer? Does meeting again now change everything? With their lives ahead of them, can Eugene and Tatiana find a way to be together after everything?
Written in gorgeous verse, In Paris With You celebrates the importance of first love. Funny and sometimes bittersweet this book has universal appeal for anyone who has been in love.
The Language of Fire: Joan of Arc Reimagined by Stephanie Hemphill (June 11)
This extraordinary verse novel from award-winning author Stephanie Hemphill dares to imagine how an ordinary girl became a great leader, and ultimately saved a nation.
Jehanne was an illiterate peasant, never quite at home among her siblings and peers. Until one day, she hears a voice call to her, telling her she is destined for important things. She begins to understand that she has been called by God, chosen for a higher purpose—to save France.
Through sheer determination and incredible courage, Jehanne becomes the unlikeliest of heroes. She runs away from home, dresses in men’s clothes, and convinces an army that she will lead France to victory.
As a girl in a man’s world, at a time when women truly had no power, Jehanne faced constant threats and violence from the men around her. Despite the impossible odds, Jehanne became a fearless warrior who has inspired generations.
Sanctuary Highway by Ellen Hopkins (March 17, 2020)
The United States government, now called the Confederation, has redefined what it means to be “American.” The parameters are narrow; the exceptions few.
In danger and on the run, two teens who fall outside the “correct” Confederation designation must join forces on a thousand mile journey north for safety. But survival means relying on strangers and not everyone is who they appear to be. Who do you turn to when the only person you can trust is yourself, and one wrong whisper can be the difference between freedom and imprisonment, life and death?
Note: some have raised some concerns about this book and this post is worth reading.
Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott (January 14, 2020)
A YA poetry collection that conjures #BlackGirlMagic with poems inspired by iconic Black female/femme artists and activists.
Second in Command by Sandi Van (Available now)
Sixteen-year-old Leo dreams of becoming an Eagle Scout and, someday, a police officer. He makes sure to always do the right thing and be responsible. With his mom deployed and his dad constantly working, Leo is often left in charge of his two younger siblings. Then Leo’s brother, Jack, gets caught up in a dangerous plot that rocks the community. Can Leo keep his promise to stand by his brother no matter what, or will he stand on the side of justice?
SHOUT by Laurie Halse Anderson (Available Now)
Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and advocates for, survivors of sexual assault. Now, inspired by her fans and enraged by how little in our culture has changed since her groundbreaking novel Speak was first published twenty years ago, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she’s never written about before. Searing and soul-searching, this important memoir is a denouncement of our society’s failures and a love letter to all the people with the courage to say #metoo and #timesup, whether aloud, online, or only in their own hearts. Shout speaks truth to power in a loud, clear voice– and once you hear it, it is impossible to ignore.
Soaring Earth by Margarita Engle (Available Now)
Margarita Engle’s childhood straddled two worlds: the lush, welcoming island of Cuba and the lonely, dream-soaked reality of Los Angeles. But the revolution has transformed Cuba into a mystery of impossibility, no longer reachable in real life. Margarita longs to travel the world, yet before she can become independent, she’ll have to start high school.
Then the shock waves of war reach America, rippling Margarita’s plans in their wake. Cast into uncertainty, she must grapple with the philosophies of peace, civil rights, freedom of expression, and environmental protection. Despite overwhelming circumstances, she finds solace and empowerment through her education. Amid the challenges of adolescence and a world steeped in conflict, Margarita finds hope beyond the struggle, and love in the most unexpected of places.
Some Girls Bind by Rory James (Available now)
Jamie knows that she isn’t like other girls. She has a secret. She binds her chest every day to feel more like herself. Jamie questions why she is drawn to this practice and why she is afraid of telling her friends, who have their own secrets. Could she really be genderqueer?
Turtle Under Ice by Juleah del Rosario (No cover, Expected in 2020)
Turtle Under Ice, a YA novel-in-verse, which follows the relationship between two teen sisters after one of them goes missing during a snowstorm. Publication is planned for spring 2020.
Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliott (Available now)
Told through medieval poetic forms and in the voices of the people and objects in Joan of Arc’s life, (including her family and even the trees, clothes, cows, and candles of her childhood). Along the way it explores issues such as gender, misogyny, and the peril of speaking truth to power. Before Joan of Arc became a saint, she was a girl inspired. It is that girl we come to know in Voices.
When You Ask Me Where I’m Going by Jasmin Kaur (October 1, no cover yet)
scream
so that one day
a hundred years from now
another sister will not have to
dry her tears wondering
where in history
she lost her voice
The six sections of the book explore what it means to be a young woman living in a world that doesn’t always hear her and tell the story of Kiran as she flees a history of trauma and raises her daughter, Sahaara, while living undocumented in North America.
Delving into current cultural conversations including sexual assault, mental health, feminism, and immigration, this narrative of resilience, healing, empowerment, and love will galvanize readers to fight for what is right in their world.
White Rose by Kip Wilson (April 2)
A gorgeous and timely novel based on the incredible story of Sophie Scholl, a young German college student who challenged the Nazi regime during World War II as part of The White Rose, a non-violent resistance group.
Disillusioned by the propaganda of Nazi Germany, Sophie Scholl, her brother, and his fellow soldiers formed the White Rose, a group that wrote and distributed anonymous letters criticizing the Nazi regime and calling for action from their fellow German citizens. The following year, Sophie and her brother were arrested for treason and interrogated for information about their collaborators.
Want more? Kimberly rounded up poetry collections for kids hitting shelves this year — there’s a wave of ’em!