Poetry as a genre has made quite a comeback in the last few years, thanks to the growth of Instagram and social media. Platforms have allowed independent creators to share their voices in new, novel ways and have reached new readers. Though this uptick in poetry consumption has been most obvious in adult readers, teen readers have been— and continue to be— avid consumers of the format.
Poetry books for teens have been around as long as young adult literature has, but in the wake of renewed interest in the format, it’s worth checking out some of the wide range of books out there. This is a list of the top 10 poetry-inspired YA books written in verse; it also includes books not published specifically for teen readers in the YA category, but with tremendous appeal to teen readers. Enjoy!
1. House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, published 2009 by Vintage {first published 1984}
Acclaimed by critics, beloved by readers of all ages, taught everywhere from inner-city grade schools to universities across the country, and translated all over the world, The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero.
Told in a series of vignettes– sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous– it is the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become.
2. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, published 2018 by Harper Teen
Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo. A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.
But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers— especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.
So, when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her Mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems. Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.
3. The Last True Poets of The Sea by Julia Drake, published 2019 by Disney-Hyperion
The Larkin family isn’t just lucky— they persevere. At least that’s what Violet and her younger brother, Sam, were always told. When the Lyric sank off the coast of Maine, their great-great-great-grandmother didn’t drown like the rest of the passengers. No, Fidelia swam to shore, fell in love, and founded Lyric, Maine, the town Violet and Sam returned to every summer.
But wrecks seem to run in the family. Tall, funny, musical Violet can’t stop partying with the wrong people. And, one beautiful summer day, brilliant, sensitive Sam attempts to take his own life.
Shipped back to Lyric while Sam is in treatment, Violet is haunted by her family’s missing piece- the lost shipwreck she and Sam dreamed of discovering when they were children. Desperate to make amends, Violet embarks on a wildly ambitious mission: locate the Lyric, lain hidden in a watery grave for over a century.
She finds a fellow wreck hunter in Liv Stone, an amateur local historian whose sparkling intelligence and guarded gray eyes make Violet ache in an exhilarating new way. Whether or not they find the Lyric, the journey Violet takes-and the bridges she builds along the way-may be the start of something like survival.
4. Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult, published 2012 by Simon Pulse Simon Schuster
Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book— one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.
And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.
A romantic and charming story, this companion novel to Off the Page will make every reader believe in the fantastical power of fairy tales.
5. Serendipity and Me by Judith L. Roth, Viking Books for Young Readers
Sara has always loved cats. She surrounds herself with pictures of cats, stuffed cats, even cat-headed slippers. But she’s never been allowed to have a real cat of her own. Her father has always told her no, for reasons he won’t explain.
So when a fluffy snowball of a kitten darts through their front door and into her life, Sara believes her dream might finally come true. But convincing her father to break his strict “No Cats” policy seems impossible. She has less than a week to persuade him that this kitten is exactly what their lonely, broken family of two needs to heal.
Told in lyrical, spare verse, Serendipity & Me is a sparkling novel that elegantly handles the topic of loss for a middle-grade audience.
6. Coaltown Jesus by Ron Koertge, published 2013 by Candlewick Press
Walker shouldn’t have been so surprised to find Jesus standing in the middle of his bedroom. After all, he’d prayed for whoever was up there to help him, and to help his mom, who hadn’t stopped crying since Noah died two months ago. But since when have prayers actually been answered? And since when has Jesus been so… irreverent?
But as astounding as Jesus’ sudden appearance is, it’s going to take more than divine intervention for Walker to come to terms with his brother’s sudden death. Why would God take seventeen-year-old Noah when half of the residents in his mom’s nursing home were waiting to die? And why would he send Jesus to Coaltown, Illinois, to pick up the pieces?
In a spare and often humorous text, renowned poet Ron Koertge tackles some of life’s biggest questions— and humanizes the divine savior in a way that highlights the divinity in all of us.
7. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, published 2020 by Harper Teen, Goodreads Choice Winner 2020
In a novel-in-verse, that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.
Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…
In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.
Separated by distance— and Papi’s secrets— the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.
And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.
8. A Time To Dance by Padma Venkatraman, published 2016 by Nancy Paulsen Books
Padma Venkatraman’s A Time to Dance is a book that makes readers want to twirl, spin, and shimmy across the dance floor. A Time to Dance is a mesmerizing lyrical tale of rebirth, love, and hope in the life of Veda, a classically-trained Bharatanatyam dancer struggling to rebound following a tragic accident.
Set in India, Venkatraman’s verse beautifully weaves themes of spirituality, friendship, and perseverance to gift us some hope in a year with much too little of it. Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient Bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit.
9. The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta, published 2019 by Hodder Children’s Books, Stonewall Book Award (2020), Waterstones Children’s Book Prize Nominee for Older Readers (2021), Carnegie Medal Nominee (2020)
Graceful and unapologetically queer The Black Flamingo is a bold novel 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 color.
Atta a widely celebrated British poet offers a “queer and here” portrait of Michael, a young Jamaican-Greek Cypriot gay protagonist living in Britain. 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.
10. Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh, published 2020 by Penguin Random House, Michael L. Printz Award Nominee (2021), National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature (2020)
Every Body Looking is a debut novel that tells the story of Ada— daughter of an immigrant father and an African American mother— and her struggle to find a place for herself in America and in her own family.
Every Body Looking is a heavily autobiographical novel of a young woman’s struggle to carve a place for herself— for her black female body— in a world of deeply conflicting messages.
Told entirely in verse, Ada’s story encompasses her earliest memories as a child, including her abuse at the hands of a young cousin, her mother’s rejection and descent into addiction, and her father’s attempts to create a home for his American daughter more like the one he knew in Nigeria.
Written in verse, these top 10 YA novels— full of dreams, young love, heartbreak, and growth—reminded us all of what has been and what can be. So, whether you’re shopping for a young person or just looking to soothe your own soul, these poetic-inspired works are sure to do the job. If you’re looking for more poetry-writing inspiration, check out our 40 Poetry Prompts.