45+ Novels in Verse for Reluctant Readers and Poets

Hi, guys! Teacher here. For those who know me, you’re probably already aware that I like to seek out lesser-known stories. But as a teacher, I also like to find books that students can easily access. It’s a delicate balance. I like to find stories that are relevant to American and world history. Stories that help readers connect to the written word even for the reluctant reader.

Poetry is great, especially novels in verse, because of all the blank space. But it’s also challenging because most people take one look at poetry and want to run away screaming. But we’re surrounded by poetry all the time. It’s in our music. In old tales of fan-fiction. Yes, I’m looking at you Paradise Lost. But poetry doesn’t have to be hard. It’s meant to be felt and enjoyed, read aloud, shared and shared again.

I’ve gotten to that point in reading where I’ll walk into a library and ask for a recommendation for a novel in verse and get the same five books over and over again. Which is great. Those books are good, but I’m looking for a bit more. I was talking with one of my librarian friends, and after I asked her for a recommendation, she laughed and said, “I usually ask you for recommendations!”

So here, you go, everyone. I made a list for you. I’ve sorted through books I’ve read and yet to read.* Here are 45+ novel in verse for those who enjoy poetry and those who may want a light, easy-to-read novel.

*Some novels in verse that I’ve read did not make the recommendation list. See my Goodreads for more.

Top-Recommended Novels in Verse (Easy to Access)

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech

Alone by Megan E. Freeman

Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton

House Arrest by K.A. Holt

Inside Out & Back Again by Lai Thanhhá

Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca

Me: Moth by Amber McBride

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough (trigger warning: rape)

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (trigger warning: gun violence)

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

More Obscure Novels in Verse

Contemporary Gems

Ode to a Nobody by Caroline Brooks DuBois

Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes

Closer to Nowhere by Ellen Hopkins

Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt

Saving Red by Sonya Sones

Historical Fiction

Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg

Audacity by Melanie Crowder

Somewhere Among by Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu

Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings by Margarita Engle

Looking for Me by Betsy Rosenthal

Like Water on Stone by Dana Walrath

Poetry from my TBR (To-Be-Read Pile)

Solo by Kwame Alexander

Poetry and music! Yes! I like to tell reluctant readers that even if they don’t understand poetry, it’s in our music too. What better place to start?

Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Brown

A contemporary novel and a Goodreads choice award nominee.

Love, Love by Victoria Chang

What initially sounds like a romance is described as a tale of friendship.

The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho

A retelling of Theseus in the Minotaur but contemporary and poetry! Sign me up please. I once wrote a novel about a contemporary labyrinth, so I’m extra curious about this one.

Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Need I say more? It has toffee in the title!

Bull by David Elliott

Another retelling of Theseus and the Minotaur in verse! Wait a minute… I’m sensing a pattern…

The Lightning Dreamer by Maragrita Engle

Historical fiction can be tough enough as it is, but I like it when poetry takes a turn, often breaking down difficult topics into smaller chunks.

The Firefly Letters by Maragrita Engle

Some authors writer a lot of novels in verse.

Wave by Diana Farid

There’s a surfer on the cover! Let’s go!

Apple by Eric Gansworth

Indigenous fiction. I’ve enjoyed reading indigenous fiction lately, and I think I’ll have to share some of my favorites in its own post.

Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles by Shari Green

I’m totally judging this book by its title. I like root beer candy, okay?

Don’t Call Me a Hurricane by Ellen Hagan

What is it with novels in verse and the ocean and gorgeous covers? I’m here for it.

Knockout by K.A. Holt

The same author who wrote House Arrest, a popular novel in verse recommendation.

If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur

This particular book looks tough, but it’s one I want to read.

In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo

This book sounds similar to Inside Out & Back Again in that it also features an immigrant family moving to America, except this story features characters from Taiwan.

When the Clouds Touch Us by Lai Thanhhá

The sequel to Inside Out & Back Again, which I have read and taught multiple times. Yes, please!

Up From the Sea by Leza Lowitz

Did somebody mentioned the sea?

We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride

She wrecked my heart with Me: Moth. Sure, I want to read another one of her books.

Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride

Guess she has a thing for novels in verse, and I like to suffer.

Under the Broken Sky by Mariko Nagai

Have you seen the cover!? Go look at it!

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman

Did somebody say dance? It’s been a while since I’ve done any dancing, but I enjoyed it for a time. Let’s go.

Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott

A novel in verse about the holocaust.

The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep by Allan Wolf

I don’t know why, but this book sounds really intriguing. But I can’t find it in any library, so I’m seriously tempted to order a copy and hope for the best.

So there you have it. 45+ novels in verse for the reluctant readers and the avid poetry reader. If you’ve read any of these, what did you think of them? Are there are any more I should add to my list? Let me know what you think!

Until next time. Happy reading!

2022 Books in Review

What a delightful year for books!

I found a great indie bookstore in my town that always carries a good stock of poetry. Now the owner recognizes me and recommends poetry collections. Yay!

Once I started working full time, I didn’t have as much time to read, so I’ve had to adapt. That is, I stopped reading books if I wasn’t interested in. *gasp* I have so many I didn’t finish… But that’s okay. Life’s too short to force myself to read something I don’t enjoy.

As for those I did enjoy—here they are!

Goal: 1 Book 700+ pages

The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson—I didn’t realize how long these books were until I started rereading them. They were delightful, of course. There’s talk of one of Sanderson’s books getting a show or movie adaptation, and I hope it’s this series! I’d like to share it with my non-reader friends.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas—I found the longest book on my TBR and started listening it to it because I was bored. No, seriously. Turns out, I really enjoyed it! Instead of simply listening to during my commute to and from work, I listened to it a bunch at home too. (Not done yet…)

 

Goal: 2 Writing Books

The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass—I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a writing book this much before! Not only is it instructional, but it has some great examples. Since I listened to the audio book while I driving, I may have to reread it to actually apply it to my own novels. Writing emotion into my stories is something I’ve struggled with, but now I’m inspired! (Not done yet. I intend to finish before the end of the year.)

Goal: 3 Books Published in 2022

Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas—this graphic novel is gold. The cover drew me in at first. I thought the story would be okay. I was wrong. It was great! I devoured it in one sitting, then went out and bought a copy and have since reread it.

An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X. R. Pan—I was disappointed by this one, unfortunately. While I enjoyed the magical-realism-contemporary-mix, the ending felt too confused and rushed. It didn’t make sense to me.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys—I’ve found my new favorite historical fiction author! Seriously, I’ve read all her books now. I devoured this in a day. Sepetys’ writing style continues to be stunning. As a teacher I always appreciate her perspective on often untold stories across Europe. This particular story was heartbreaking.

Family of Liars by E. Lockhart—If you don’t mind a book that’s depressing and a story that revisits a setting that you may have visited before, then this book is for you. Sequel to We Were Liars (see below). I didn’t quite enjoy this one as much as the first because it lacked the connection between the characters that I enjoyed in the first.

Goal: 3 Rereads

Light at the Bottom of the World (Light of the Abyss, book 1) by London Shah—Wow, I enjoyed this book more the second time than the first! It hit differently than the first time too. The first time I read it was pre-pandemic. After the pandemic, wow, this society seems a lot like our own. I particularly enjoyed the underwater sci-fi elements, and the themes are spectacular too! (See the sequel in the category below.)

The Mistborn Saga by Brandon Sanderson—the final book of the second arc, came out this year, so of course, I had to reread the entire series. I told myself I was going to wait until June to start the books, but then I started in May. Whoops! The world building, the magic system, the characters, the themes! Though I prefer the first arc, I enjoyed the second arc as well. I’m still waiting for the final book though. Right now, I’m fourth in the hold line at my library…

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart—Picked this one up when I started getting tired of fantasy. This contemporary was just what I needed. A beautiful yet heartbreaking read. Now I want to write an inspirational quote on my hands to better remember it.

 

Goal: 5 Books I Own (not rereads)

I need to categorize these better next year. There’s quite a bit of overlap.

Journey to the Heart of the Abyss (Light of the Abyss, book 2) by London Shah—First of all, can we take a moment to appreciate how Shah names the duology after both books instead of just the first book. Thank you, Shah. Thank you! As for the story itself, I didn’t care for the sequel as much as the first one. Oh, well.

A Silent Voice (books 1-7) by Yoshitoki Ōima—Technically, I’ve read the first three books before, but not the final four! Yes, I watched the anime first. I like both for different reasons. Heartbreaking yet beautiful and powerful.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne—see category below.

Collected Haiku of Yosa Buson—see category below.

Timely: A Phoenix Fiction Writers Anthology—see final category.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens—see category below.

The Moon Before Morning by W.S. Merwin—another poetry collection. Not as much imagery or as enthralling as the haiku collection but enjoyable nonetheless.

Goal: 5 Books by 5 Different Non-American Authors

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa—Translated from Japanese. This one was fun and the themes were interesting, though the writing style was a little dull. I’m going to blame it on translation. Would recommend if you like cats and labyrinths and books.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke—British fiction. Hey, look! Another book about labyrinths! I’m sensing a theme… I really enjoyed this one. It’s got a nice, meandering pace that certainly isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but it certainly was mine. A portal fantasy about another world with an unreliable narrator who is incredibly smart but also a little crazy. It’s got a similar feel as The Slow Regard of Silent Things.

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan—Technically this one was also a 2022 release, but I put it here because why not? This book is actually the second one I’ve read this year that focuses on the Chinese legend of the moon goddess, and I definitely enjoyed this one more! It was a little slow and meandering, so it took me a bit to finish. Definitely worth the read.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne—Translated from French. A classic for a reason. I enjoyed this one way more than I thought I would. I’ve heard Verne’s work described as “boring” before, but I quite enjoyed this one. My eyes did glaze over a bit during the paragraphs with all the fish, though. I was first introduced to the story when I was a kid, but I’d never read the original before now. Definitely recommend!

Collected Haiku of Yosa Buson—Translated from Japanese with the original Japanese transcribed on the left. What a delightful collection! I picked up this beauty during a book sale at a local bookstore and enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. I think I might be a haiku person. Some are complex, some are simple. All are short and quick reads. The book is broken up into seasons, starting with spring, ending with winter. What’s more, there’s even a whole mini-section on frogs. This is the kind of content I’m here for!

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens—British fiction. I actually read this one twice. Once for lesson planning, and again with my class. While the language was a bit dense for my lower-level readers, many of them enjoyed the story and getting the chance to watch the movie at the end of the year.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas—Unabridged and translated from French. See first category.

 

Goal: 1 Short Story Collection

Timely: A Phoenix Fiction Writers Anthology—Another enjoyable collection by the Phoenix Fiction Writers! I took my grand time with this one, but that’s part of the fun of anthologies like this one. You don’t have to read it all in one sitting. A story at a time will do. My favorites were probably “Adamant” by Beth Wangler and “Daughter” by E.B. Dawson.

 

Total books: 19/20

Other Notable Books

Alone by Megan E. Freeman

The Way of the House Husband by Kousuke Oono

The Expanse series by James S.A. Cory

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas

No Beauties or Monsters by Tara Goedjen

Himawari House by Harmony Becker

Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim

Visual Learning: Physics by Kurt Baker

You can check out the full list of books I read on my Year in Books page on Goodreads.

If you’ve made it this far, I’m taking a step back from blogging. I still intend to post my reading resolutions, end of the year reviews, and writing-news. But for the most part, I’ll be positing on Instagram instead. Thank you for following me along this crazy blogging journey.

Happy reading!

 

***

Let’s chat! Have you read any of these? What are some of your favorite books from 2022?

Similar posts: 2022 Reading Resolutions, 2021 Books in Review, and 2021 Reading Resolutions