Poetry Month reads

List of JFIC books in verse and poetry collections for youth and middle school readers.

Showing 1 - 20 of 29  There are a total of 65 valid entries on the list.
Book cover for "Beyond me"
Star rating for Beyond me
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
In the aftermath of a major earthquake, eleven-year-old Maya overcomes her own fear to help others at home and in northeast Japan, where a tsunami caused great damage. Includes author's note about the facts behind the story.

2. Birdie

Book cover for "Birdie"
Star rating for Birdie
Average Rating:
2 stars
Description:
Still grieving for her father, twelve-year-old Birdie struggles to adjust to many changes, including when her grandmother, her mother, and her best friends all begin dating.
Book cover for "Call me Adnan"
Star rating for Call me Adnan
Author:
Description:
Twelve-year-old Adnan dreams of making it to the Ultimate Table Tennis championship, but when tragedy strikes his family, Adnan loses his passion for table tennis and must learn to channel his grief and heal.
Book cover for "A child's calendar"
Star rating for A child's calendar
Author:
Description:
A collection of twelve poems describing the activities in a child's life and the changes in the weather as the year moves from January to December.
Book cover for "Dreams from many rivers"
Star rating for Dreams from many rivers
Description:
"A middle grade verse history of Latinos in the United States, told through the voices of many and varied individuals ranging from Juan Ponce de León to modern-day sixth graders"--
Book cover for "Flipping forward twisting backward"
Star rating for Flipping forward twisting backward
Description:
"Fifth-grader Claire can do a perfect triple handspring. She can do a giant pirouette on the uneven bars. What she can't do is reading. With a lot of effort, she hides her secret until an alert vice principle suggests she get evaluated for a learning disability. Now Claire has to convince her mother--who's afraid her daughter will be labeled 'stupid'--to let her get tested. And that turns out to be even harder than reading"--
Book cover for "For every one"
Star rating for For every one
Average Rating:
3.7 stars
Description:
"Originally performed at the Kennedy Center for the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and later as a tribute to Walter Dean Myers, this stirring and inspirational poem is New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds's rallying cry to the dreamers of the world."--Publisher's description.
Book cover for "Garvey's choice"
Star rating for Garvey's choice
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
Preferring science and reading to the sports his father wants him to play, Garvey comforts himself with food and endures bullying before joining the school chorus, where he learns how to accept himself and bond with his father.
Book cover for "Good different"
Star rating for Good different
Description:
"Seventh-grader Selah Godfrey knows that to be "normal" she has to keep her feelings tightly controlled when people are around, but after hitting a fellow student, she needs to figure out just what makes her different--and why that is ok. Told in verse."--
Book cover for "Legacy"
Star rating for Legacy
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
"From Children's Literature Legacy Award-winning author Nikki Grimes comes a feminist-forward new collection of poetry celebrating the little-known women poets of the Harlem Renaissance--paired with full-color, original art from today's most talented female African-American illustrators."--
Book cover for "Lifeboat 12"
Star rating for Lifeboat 12
Average Rating:
3.7 stars
Description:
In 1940, a group of British children, their escorts, and some sailors struggle to survive in a lifeboat when the ship taking them to safety in Canada is torpedoed.
Book cover for "The lost language"
Star rating for The lost language
Description:
Best friends and sixth-graders Bumble and Lizard go on a quest to save the severely endangered language, Guernésiais, partly to impress Bumble's linguist mother.
Book cover for "My head has a bellyache"
Star rating for My head has a bellyache
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
"A witty, illustrated collection of humorous (and sometimes even heartwarming) poems and nonsense inspired by the absurdities of everyday life"--
Book cover for "No more poems!"
Star rating for No more poems!
Average Rating:
4 stars
Description:
In the tradition of Shel Silverstein, these poems bring a fresh new twist to the classic dilemmas of childhood as well as a perceptive eye to the foibles of modern family life. Full of clever wordplay and bright visual gags--and toilet humor to spare--these twenty-three rhyming poems make for an ideal read-aloud experience.

15. Odder

Book cover for "Odder"
Star rating for Odder
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
"Odder spends her days playing underwater and learning life lessons from her mother. But when Odder's life takes a dramatic turn, she is rescued by humans. The people are kind, and introduce Odder to other rescues. Soon, it's clear that Odder has a talent for teaching other pups how to otter. Adapted from Katherine Applegate's bestselling novel of the same name (with over 80 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list!), and inspired by the true story...
Book cover for "Rain rising"
Star rating for Rain rising
Series:
Description:
Thirteen-year-old Rain, who struggles with low self-esteem, must overcome sadness after her older brother Xander is severely beaten up at a frat party, but through the help of an after-school circle group, Rain finds the courage to help herself and her family heal.
Book cover for "Reckless, glorious, girl"
Star rating for Reckless, glorious, girl
Author:
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Description:
Twelve-year-old Beatrice Miller copes with the ups and downs of friendships, puberty, and identity, guided by the wisdom and love of her beloved Mamaw and mom, the summer before seventh grade..
Book cover for "Red, white, and whole"
Star rating for Red, white, and whole
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Description:
"A heartbreakingly hopeful #ownvoices novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia."--Provided by publisher.
Book cover for "Rez dogs"
Star rating for Rez dogs
Description:
"Twelve-year-old Malian lives with her grandparents on a Wabanaki reservation during the COVID-19 pandemic"--
Book cover for "A seed in the sun"
Star rating for A seed in the sun
Description:
Lula, a farm-working girl with big dreams, meets Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong, and other labor rights activists and joins the 1965 protest for workers' rights.