Alone

by Megan E. Freeman

Maddie and her friends have the Best. Plan. Ever. Maddie tells her mom she's at her dad's. And tells her dad she's at her mom's. And her friends hatch a similar plan with their parents. But really, they're going to Maddie's grandparents' condo. They're only in town in the summer. It's the perfect plan, until Ashanti gets sick, and the whole thing gets called off. Maddie has already bought all the snacks, though, so she goes ahead and has the party by herself. She falls asleep with her phone on silent, and when she wakes up, she's... alone. Everyone has been evacuated for an unknown reason, and Maddie has to figure out what's going on and how to survive. I absolutely loved this tense, super suspenseful novel in verse!

 

The Canyon's Edge

by Dusti Bowling

Nora's mom died in a tragic restaurant shooting at Nora's birthday dinner. Understandably, her father wants to wrap her up and protect her from everything now, and she's suffocating. On the one year anniversary, he takes her on a camping/hiking trip to try to get their minds off what happened a year ago. But suddenly, tragedy strikes again, separating Nora from her dad. Now she's alone in the Arizona desert. It's hard enough trying to live through wild animals, hunger, and dehydration, but the ghosts of her past also won't leave her alone. Can Nora find her dad, and the peace she craves? This is a well-written and tensely paced novel in verse that will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys survival stories.

 

Me (Moth)

by Amber McBride

This is a beautifully written novel in verse about a girl, Moth, and a boy, Sani, who find each other in a very trying time in each of their lives. Moth has just lost her entire family in a terrible car accident where she is the only survivor. Sani is a musician who wants to go to Juilliard. He has the talent, but not the confidence. The two end up on an emotional road trip, both trying to find themselves. My only complaint about this novel is that is bogs down in the middle a little. The writing is lovely, but it's a bit too frilly for my liking, so much so that I almost quit. Something compelled me to keep reading, though, and I'm glad that I did. The ending gave me about three rounds of goosebumps, and was really satisfying. This is a book lovers book, and I'm glad I gave it a chance. 

 

House Arrest

by K.A. Holt

Timothy stole a stranger's wallet, and now he's on probation and in really big trouble. His life changed so fast. One minute, he and his mom and dad had a happy little family with a baby on the way. The next minute, they find out the baby is sick, the dad bails, and it's just Timothy, his mom, Levi, and a home health care worker. He only stole the wallet to help pay for Levi's medical bills, but that doesn't change anything. His probation officer and his therapist make him keep a journal, which is the story we're reading. This is a gut-wrenching novel, full of heart and sadness and hope and love and disappointment and all the feelings! 

 

Long Way Down

by Jason Reynolds

Will's brother Shawn has just been murdered. He thinks he knows who did it, so he gets his own gun, steels himself to do what needs to be done (revenge is the rule in his neighborhood), and gets on an elevator. As the car goes down, he's joined by people he once knew. When they were alive. Each visitor clues him in to something he didn't know about his family, his neighborhood, himself.

I'm late to the Jason Reynolds party. I know, I know. And now I know what all the hype is about. Beautifully written text and a compelling story with a timely message. What's not to love?

I listened to this on Overdrive, and Mr. Reynolds himself provides the narration. He has a beautiful voice--I highly recommend the audio version.

The Crossover

by Kwame Alexander

Twins Josh and JB are basketball stars in their last year of middle school. We hear the story through Josh's point of view. He's got a couple of things he's worried about. 1.) Winning the basketball championship. 2.) His brother has a girlfriend, and is totally wrapped up in her. 3.) Josh does not have a girlfriend and is kinda jealous. The star of this book isn't really the plot, though. It's the verse. You could read this book in an hour, since it's in poetry form, and the poetry is fun, accessible, and real.

UPDATE! This book just won the Newbery Medal!

Inside Out & Back Again

by Thanhha Lai

Ha and her family live in Vietnam, and love their beautiful home. But the Vietnam War is raging, and begins to get closer and closer to their town. She has already lost her father. He's missing in action, but her family maintains hope that he will someday return. As the war rages on, it suddenly becomes clear that it's not safe for them to stay. They become refugees, boarding a navy ship headed to America, with only what they can fit in a small backpack. They finally arrive in Alabama, and a family takes them in. Ha deals with bullies at school, struggles to learn a new language, and deeply misses the fresh papayas that once grew in her yard. This is a story about adapting when you don't want to, figuring out who you are, and learning to accept the difficult things in life.

Song of the Sparrow

by Lisa Ann Sandell

Elaine lives with her father in a world of men--King Arthur's army camp. She sews, and mends, and cooks, and cleans, but loves her life. Handsome Lancelot is her close friend, but her heart also pounds every time he is near. Is it love? Could he possibly love her back? She doesn't get a chance to tell him before he leaves for his latest mission, but vows to herself that she will let him know how she feels when he returns. But he comes back with Gwynivere, who is intended to be King Arthur's new bride. She knows she shouldn't be threatened by this lady in fine clothes, but she sees a look pass between Lancelot and Gwynivere, and realizes there is more to their relationship than meets the eye.

A story told in verse, this is a lovely retelling of Tennyson's The Lady of Shalott. It's a fast read, with a sweet and satisfying ending.

Chasing Brooklyn

by Lisa Schroeder

Brooklyn loses her boyfriend Lucca in a terrible car accident. A year later, she's still grieving. Then Gabe, the boy who was driving the car when Lucca died, committs suicide. Gabe begins haunting her, and at the same time Lucca starts haunting his brother Nico. Lucca is begging Nico to help Brooklyn, to save her, but Nico has no idea she's being haunted, and no idea what Lucca wants her to save him from. Nico's a runner, and tries to help Brooklyn the only way he knows how--by asking her to train with him for a triathlon. As they train they grow closer...and closer. But how far are either of them willing to go to lose their ghosts?

We read this in 7th grade Book Club, and everyone really enjoyed it. It's a novel in verse, so it's a short, easy read, and we all want to read everything else she's written now!

Glimpse

by Carol Lynch Williams

Summary: On the opening page of this novel in verse, Hope finds her older sister Lizzie holding a gun with her finger on the trigger. She has completely given up, about to attempt suicide. While Hope knows their life isn't rosy with a dead father and a grieving but selfish mother, she can't imagine what is so terrible for Lizzie that it would drive her to want to die. As the story unfolds, Hope begins to see through her mother's lies to get to the truth about the horror in their house.

My thoughts: You won't figure out until the very end what's happening to Lizzie, but you know it isn't good. This is a very sad story, but it's a quick, intense read. I had to know what happened. Carol Lynch Williams is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me

by Lisa Schroeder

Summary: Ava's boyfriend has just died in a horrible accident. She's devastated, not only because she has lost Jackson forever, but because she feels responsible for his death. She misses him terribly, but soon after he dies, she starts to sense him around her. The smell of his aftershave permeates her room, the temperature drops, the radio tunes in, by itself, to a song that she feels might be a message. And then she sees him in her bathroom mirror, and she's knows he's really there. How can she ever leave her house now that Jackson is with her? But how can she truly live her life without leaving her house? Will her love and her guilt ruin her?

My thoughts: I love books in verse. It's so great to be able to quickly read a book from start to finish and be totally involved in the story without taking a break. This story was interesting, and sweet, and a tiny bit creepy! You don't find out until the very end how Jackson died, so that alone will keep you reading!

Kaleidoscope Eyes

by Jen Bryant

Summary: Lyza was always close to her grandfather, and when he passes away in 1968, she has to go with her father and older sister to help clean out his house. In the attic she finds a note with some maps and a key that are marked for her eyes only. Her grandfather has left her documents that lead Lyza and her two best friends on an exciting search for Captain Kidd's pirate treasure.

My thoughts: The Vietnam War-era setting gives this book a different feel--it's interesting to read Lyza's reaction to the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy, and to watch her see her friend's older brother get drafted. This is a novel written in verse. Jen Bryant takes full advantage of this format, using very few words to make a very powerful statement.

Burned

by Ellen Hopkins

Summary: Pattyn's strict religious upbringing doesn't mesh with the abuse and alcoholism she witnesses every day in her home. She's angry, and lets everyone know it, which lands her a summer with an aunt in a tiny Nevada town. There aren't many people her age there, but she does meet one--Ethan, and it's a connection unlike anything she has ever felt. She also finds an unexpected acceptance and love from her aunt. But things don't ever seem to go well for Pattyn for very long.

My thoughts: This is another high school book, so it's not in our library. Hopkins writes in verse like no one else can, except maybe Sonya Sones (but I prefer Hopkins). The writing is elegant, beautiful, and compulsively readable. This book is like a train wreck--sad, but you just can't bring yourself to look away.

Shark Girl

by Kelly Bingham

Summary: Jane, an artist and a surfer, loses her arm in a shark attack one beautiful day at the beach. Her story is told through newspaper clippings, poetry, journal entries, and letters. Losing her identity as an artist and a surfer in one fell swoop causes Jane to have to re-evaluate her ideas about her goals, her family, her friends--her entire life. Will she allow the attack to fill her with fear, or with strength?

My thoughts: This is a fictional novel, but is based on the real-life story of Bethany Hamilton, the Hawaiian surfer who lost her arm to a shark attack a few years ago. It's a hauntingly beautiful account of what it feels like to have your life turned upside down, and how to find your new self after tragedy.