Novel In Verse

Reasons to Look at the Night Sky / Danielle Daniel

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Reasons to Look at the Night Sky
By: Danielle Daniel
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 328
Published: October 29, 2024
Publisher: Tundra Books
Dates Read: July 12, 2025 - July 13, 2025
Format: Hardcover

Luna is eleven-years-old and knows everything about the night sky and space. She dreams of being an astronaut one day. The first step to her dream is acing the space unit in her science class so she can add it to her NASA summer space camp application.

But when Luna’s teacher suddenly has to take a leave of absence, substitute teacher, Ms. Manitowabi comes in and shakes up the entire science class unit by bringing art into science. But on top of science class changing, Luna is also dealing with changes not only at home, but within her relationship with her best friend. What on Earth is happening?

This is an adorable novel in verse middle grade read. Luna is easily identifiable as an eleven-year-old (beside the fact that she’s very proud of being as old as she is) and this story is definitely written with that audience in mind.

I enjoyed this read of Luna’s journey, especially her excitement and fascination with the sky stories from the First Nations people. Like Luna, I also agree those are important and need to be included in the history and knowledge of sky and space.

Overall, this novel in verse is an enjoyable read that is aimed towards middle grade readers, especially those who enjoy space – but also those who don’t because I feel like Luna does an excellent job at getting others excited for space too.

*Thanks Tundra Books and LibraryThing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

All the Blues in the Sky / Renée Watson

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All the Blues in the Sky
By: Renée Watson
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 208
Published: February 4, 2025
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Dates Read: April 9, 2025 - April 10, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Sage’s thirteen birthday was supposed to be staying up late with her best friend with movies, snacks, and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it’s the day her best friend died. Without her, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who lost someone close to them, she learns loss is not always the same – nor is grief – and the healing process is unpredictable. As Sage grieves, her emotions are all over the place: sadness, loneliness, anger, anxiety, pain, love, guilt… as she experiences new things, Sage may help herself in her grief.

Yet another book I wish I had when I was younger. I was twelve when my Dad was killed in a traffic accident while working. I went through all the emotions Sage goes through in this and more. I do appreciate the fact it mentions grief never really goes away, and that it comes back sometimes unexpectedly – 20 years last August and I’ll still have days I wish my Dad was around to ask questions/talk to.

I never went to a counseling group like Sage does though. My Mom had asked about talking with a therapist, but at the time, therapy and therapist were still kind of taboo and I told her I didn’t want to go; she never pushed. I ended up coping a lot with music, but talking about it while I was younger would have probably helped with my anger.

Overall, this is a beautifully written novel in verse about a young teenager dealing with the sudden loss of her best friend. I believe this would be so helpful to those who have also lost someone close to them suddenly.

It’s All or Nothing, Vale / Andrea Beatriz Arango

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It’s All or Nothing, Vale
By: Andrea Beatriz Arango
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 272
Published: February 11, 2025
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: March 16, 2025 - March 17, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

After months away from fencing after an accident, Valentina, Vale for short, is finally cleared to go back, but it’s much harder than before. Her body doesn’t move as it once did and some days’ pain is better than others, but what’s worse is the new girl, Myrka. Myrka is everything Vale once was and more. As Vale pushes herself to make up the lost ground, she realizes the injury isn’t the only thing holding her back. If she can’t get over her accident how will she ever move forward?

How do you explain pain to someone

when they can’t see it

when they can’t feel it

when a scale from one to ten feels useless

but metaphors and verbs like

stabbing

hammering

digging

scraping

feel like words I could shout til I run out of steam

but Papi and Mami and Manu

would never actually understand?

As someone who suffers from chronic migraines and who spent nearly five years trying to figure out what was causing them, I felt this passage above. Watching Val learn that her value does not equal what her body can and can’t do was something I needed when I was a lot younger. I started my migraine journey in my early-mid twenties and having to remind myself I wouldn’t always be able to do stuff was hard! I’m excited for younger children to see this story earlier in life so that they can have that already in their mind.

Overall, this is a great novel in verse – both for the younger generations as well as a small reminder for older generations that you may have injuries, or your body may not run like everyone else’s, but having to slow down, take your time with things, or modifying how to you do something is perfectly okay!

Please Pay Attention / Jamie Sumner

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Please Pay Attention
By: Jamie Sumner
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 240
Published: April 15, 2025
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: March 15, 2025
Format: ARC / Paperback

Trigger Warning: school shooting, PTSD, grief

After a school shooting took the lives of some of her schoolmates and her teacher, Bea Coughlin must figure out how to grieve, live, and keep rolling forward. But as her community begins to rally and protest, Bea can’t get past the helplessness she felt in her wheelchair as others around her took cover.

When her foster mom signs her up for therapeutic horseback riding, Bea finally begins to feel like herself. As she begins to heal, she finds her voice and the courage to demand change.

In a way, books about school shootings make me so sad because it’s become almost a norm for children, especially in America, and to think that someone reading this book may very well feel seen is a bit bittersweet in a way. I wish we didn’t need a book like this, but I’m also glad that we had one. 

Besides the overall storyline of the school shooting, this book really focuses on Bea feeling helpless in a situation she had no control over and how with the help from her family, and a horse, she was able to get her power back.

Overall, this book is worth the read for younger students to feel seen and to help those maybe overcome the tragedy of being in a school shooting. This would also be great for adults to read to understand what the younger generation is going through just to get an education.

*Thank you Atheneum Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Safe Harbor / Padma Venkatraman

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Safe Harbor
By: Padma Venkatraman
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 176
Published: January 21, 2025
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Dates Read: March 14, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

When Geetha and her mom move from India to Rhode Island after her parents’ divorce, they leave behind everything Geetha loves. As if leaving behind everything wasn’t already tough enough, Geetha gets bullied at school for her clothes, her food, and her English (who knew there were two different English ways of spelling things!). Geetha finds solace in playing her flute and writing poetry, and even more when she meets Miguel and the two of them help rescue an injured harp seal pup stranded on the beach.

As time moves on, Geetha feels her anger growing; she’s never been so sad or angry – anger at those who pollute the sea and sadness over the animals who get hurt from it, anger at her mom for moving her halfway across the world… but then Miguel and her start up a beach cleanup she’s surprised by how many kind kids are out there who want to help. When it’s time to let the baby seal go, Geetha has mixed feelings, knowing she’ll miss him, but also wanting what’s best for him. As she’s learning to live with mixed emotions and feelings, she also comes to understand that even though there will be rough waters, there are plenty of safe harbors out there too.

Over these last few years, I’ve really come to love novels in verse, especially when it’s aimed at the younger crowd of middle grade readers because it almost forces the author to be more particular on their word choices. This novel didn’t disappoint at all and it was simple, but still powerful.

I love how opening a book is like opening a door,

taking me to a different time and place,

Into someone else’s head and heart.

This novel not only focuses on climate change and beach cleaning, but also has to do with mental health a lot. Geetha is growing up and having to deal with a lot of change all at once and that can take a toll on anybody. She knows she has anger and resentment, but she doesn’t know how to handle that – this book talks you through her journey.

Overall, this is a simple but powerful novel in verse that will show young readers to be the change they want to see in the world.

*Thank you Nancy Paulsen Books and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Ariel Crashes a Train / Olivia A. Cole

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Ariel Crashes a Train
By: Olivia A. Cole
Genre: YA, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 464
Published: March 12, 2024
Publisher: Labyrinth Road
Dates Read: February 22, 2025 - March 2, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: mental health, OCD, intrusive and violent thoughts, suicidal thoughts

Ariel is afraid of her own mind and the violent fantasies she can’t control that are taking over every part of her life. She already feels too big, too queer, too rough for what a “good girl” is. Ever since her older sister Mandy left for college, Ariel isn’t sure her counting and rituals are enough to keep everyone safe.

When she returns to her summer job at Wildwood, the local carnival, she’s also without her best friend, Leah, who’s off to DC for Young Chemist. At first Ariel tries to keep everyone out, but then she makes friends with the new workers Ruth and Rex and she questions if what she’s been doing is the best. With help and support, Ariel discovers there’s a name for what she struggles with – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – and that there can be a future where she’s at home in her own body, and where she’s not alone.

This book isn’t an easy read – Ariel’s intrusive thoughts are definitely not kind, they’re bloody and violent, she’s also got unsupportive parents <spoiler> though it does hint that her Dad probably has OCD as well, so unsupportive/in denial </spoiler>. It is written by an author who also struggles with OCD and I feel like this was a well written portrayal. I don’t myself have OCD, but I have friends who do and they’ve described their struggles similarly.

I think the novel in verse format of this works really well for this story because Ariel’s mind can be so scattered and claustrophobic. Cole plays around with the format a bit and it shows a lot of depth you don’t always see in novels in verse. 

Overall, this is a powerful read for those who would like to learn more about living with OCD – it’s a bit heavy at times, but worth it.

National Book Award Nominee for Young People’s Literature 2024

Away / Megan E. Freeman

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Away
By: Megan E. Freeman
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 480
Published: February 11, 2025
Publisher: Aladdin
Dates Read: January 19, 2025 - January 20, 2025
Format: ARC / Paperback

Told in multiple POVS with a mixture of novel in verse, movie script, production diary, letters, and newspaper articles, this companion novel to Alone, Away follows a group of kids who were placed in the same evacuation camp after the imminent yet unnamed danger that forced them out of their home. When the group of kids has an aspiring filmmaker and a budding journalist, they begin to dig into the reasoning as to why their world was turned upside down.

As they begin to investigate, they start to discover there’s more of a cover-up operation going on than there is an actual immediate threat. Can the group get to the root of the conspiracy and tell the adults in a way they’ll be believed before it’s too late?

I absolutely adored Alone when I read it back in 2023, so I immediately tried to get my hands on Away as soon as I could. This novel is not a full novel in verse but jumps around between different styles depending on which character it’s focusing on at the moment – though Grandin and Ashantae’s are in verse, Teddy’s is written in movie script or production diary, and Harmony writes letters to her Aunt and essays in new reports.

I think this fast paced story would be fun for middle school readers, especially those who like to prove kids can be just as absorbent, if not more, than adults. The charge to question what is really going on begins with the kids and they’re the ones who shine the light on it in order for the adults to finally see what’s happening.

Are some of the scenarios in this unrealistic? Yes, but it didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying it as I’m sure many others will.

You don’t have to have read Alone in order to understand what is happening in this novel as it is a companion novel and not a sequel.

*Thank you Aladdin and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Bridge Across the Sky / Freeman Ng

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Bridge Across the Sky
By: Freeman Ng
Genre: YA, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 368
Published: August 27, 2024
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Dates Read: November 10, 2024 - November 13, 2024
Format: ARC / Paperback

Trigger Warnings: Suicide, harsh living conditions, explicit content/language

Tai Go, a Chinese teen who traveled across the ocean with his father and grandfather to start a new life are met with the Chinese Exclusion Act and forced into the detainee center on Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay. There, immigrants were stuck for an uncertain amount of time, subjected to humiliating medical exams and interrogations meant to confuse and trip them up, causing them to fail and be sent back to China.

Tai finds hope – in the poems carved into the walls of their prison-like buildings, in the friends he makes, and the actions of fellow detainees. Tai may have been unhappy at first with his father’s decision to make this trip, but as time goes on, he discovers he must forge his own path.

I love novel-in-verse books, so I’m always bound to pick up any that I see – but I will say the writing in this one is more for those who would like information, than your standard novel in verse writing. They read to me like short chapters, and not verses.

Though this may not be for everyone, I will say it’s a time in American history I don’t see (or haven’t seen) much about. I wasn’t aware of the fact that the San Francisco earthquake/fire destroyed all the records which then made it harder for Asian immigrants to land in America…

Overall, still a historical fiction, novel in verse book worth checking out to read a raw and honest portrayal of life on Angel Island.

*Thank you Atheneum Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Deer Run Home / Ann Clare LeZotte

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Deer Run Home
By: Ann Clare LeZotte
Genre: Middle Grade / Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 224
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Dates Read: November 2, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Trigger Warnings: Neglect, communication neglect, sexual abuse

Effie is Deaf and no one in her family can speak sign language – her own father communicates with her by stomping, pointing, and making thoughtless jokes. Even if they could understand each other, Effie doesn’t think she could share her biggest secret about what happened before moving in with him.

When Effie’s school interpreter, Miss Kathy, drops by the house with food during a surprise visit, she sees the poor conditions Effie and her sister Deja are living in (no food, dirty house, no clean clothes). Miss Kathy immediately asks for permission for Effie to live with her, and her father surprisedly agrees. Now, Miss Kathy is trying to figure out a more permanent solution.

I’ve picked up this novel because I’ve enjoyed Ann Clare LeZotte’s Show Me a Sign series and as an author who is Deaf, I know the experience of the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing characters in the book will be more genuine. The story is actually based on a legal case back in the 90’s where an interpreter fought for custody of a student they worked with.

This novel in verse does an amazing job at putting everyday challenges of d/Deaf children into words – ranging from parents who refuse to learn ASL, to teachers not understanding the difference between English spoken grammar and ASL grammar (which is highly different!) and how to best accommodate d/Deaf students. 

Overall, this is a heartbreaking story, but with a beautiful ending. Even those who haven’t really read novels in verse before I think would enjoy this book because it gives even more insight to the d/Deaf culture with Effie’s experience.

Telephone of the Tree / Alison McGhee

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Telephone of the Tree
By: Alison McGhee
Genre: Middle Grade, Novel in Verse
Number of Pages: 208
Published: May 7, 2024
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books
Dates Read: June 15, 2024
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

Ayla and her best friend Kiri have always been tree people. Neighbors and family know they can most likely find them within the branches. But right now, Kiri has gone somewhere far away and Ayla can only wait in the branches of her birch tree for her friend’s return.

Then, a mysterious, old-fashioned phone appears on Ayla’s tree. Where did it come from? And why are people showing up to use this phone to call their passed loved ones?

All Ayla wants is for Kiri to come home. Until then, she will keep Kiri’s things safe, her nightmares to herself, and she will not make a call on that telephone.

As a child who lost her dad at the age of twelve (three days into my seventh grade school year), a telephone in a tree to call him would be amazing, so of course, this made me tear up quite a bit.

This is a quick read. It’s broken up in kind of a novel-in-verse type of way, but not being fully a novel-in-verse. I’ll probably still rope it in with that genre of novel though.

Even though this is a quick read, there is such a punch that gets delivered. I can see this helping younger readers with their grief of a passing loved one. We can’t stay in the denial land (or lalala land) forever and it’s important to have the space to heal and accept in our own time.

This novel is guaranteed to stick with me for a long time, if not forever.
*Thank you Rocky Pond Books and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review