Poetry Slam!

This collection of poetry reflects on more than a century's worth of American history, exploring a variety of topics including racism, the 1918 influenza pandemic, climate change, and the AIDS epidemic.

In this novel in verse, two teens take a road trip in order to learn about their pasts and find ways to move forward.

In this verse novel, 13-year-old Reha grapples with her identity as an Indian-American while trying to cope with her mother’s illness.

Ellie, an eleven-year-old girl from Texas, learns to stand up for herself and confront bullies who tease her about her weight.

In this novel in verse, a teen struggles with feelings of disconnection from both her family's homeland and her suburban American life.

In this novel in verse, a girl befriends a stray dog while quarantining with her grandparents on a Wabanaki reservation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

After she is sent to Cincinnati to escape unrest in Syria, twelve-year-old Jude struggles to adjust to life in the United States.

Xiomara hides her poetry from her religious family, but when she joins a slam poetry club, she must decide whether or not she's ready for her voice to be heard. Learn these words from the acclaimed novel-in-verse by slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

Fleeing to America to escape the Vietnam War, Hà and her family end up in Alabama, where they must adapt to a new culture. This novel in verse was inspired by author Thanhha Lai's own experiences.

Imprisoned in a detention camp, Betita dreams of reuniting her family.

Twin brothers Josh and Jordan Bell clash both on and off the basketball court. How high can you score on this list of words from Alexander's award-winning novel in verse?

In this memoir, told in verse, poet Nikki Grimes explores her traumatic childhood and the development of her love of writing.

This verse novel chronicles the daily life of a Mexican-American twelve-year-old.

In this memoir-in-verse, author Laurie Halse Anderson reflects on the real events behind her acclaimed novel Speak and the aftermath of the book's publication.

In a series of autobiographical poems, Jacqueline Woodson vividly brings her childhood and adolescence to life. This memoir in verse won the National Book Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and the Newbery Honor Award.

Growing up in Renaissance Italy, Artemisia becomes a talented painter — but her father gets credit for her work. This novel in verse tells the story of how Artemisia finds her voice, both as an artist and as a young woman.

In this novel-in-verse, Will spends a sixty-second elevator ride weighing whether or not he should avenge his brother's death. Learn these words from Jason Reynolds's innovative and powerful exploration of gun violence.

ZJ's father, a beloved football star, begins suffering from memory loss and mood swings.

In this novel, narrated in a mix of prose and verse, a Puerto Rican girl adjusts to life in New York City.

As Ada begins college and looks toward the future, she also needs to come to terms with her past.

Eleven-year-old Celi faces the challenges of growing up, including crushes, changing relationships with friends, and honoring her family obligations and heritage.

In this powerful novel-in-verse, a twelve-year-old Sudanese girl must make her way to a refugee camp after her village is attacked.

Written in free verse, this Newbery Medal-winning novel details the struggles of an Oklahoman teenager during the dust-filled years of the Great Depression.

Best friends Noah and Walt bond over their shared love of baseball and appreciation for jazz. With the help of some vintage love letters (and some intervention from Walt), Noah tries to express his true feelings for his long-time crush, Sam. But as Walt and Noah attempt to "find cool," division and prejudice within their community cause their lives to take an unexpected turn.

After learning a devastating truth about his unstable, rock-star father, 17-year-old Blade travels to Ghana in order to come to terms with his family history and forge his own identity.

In this verse novel, a young immigrant from Africa adjusts to life in the United States.

Garvey loves reading and astronomy, but his father pressures him to be an athlete. Then Garvey is chosen as a soloist in the school choir — and music might provide a way for him and his father to connect.

Each week, students in a high school English class step up to the mic to share original poems.

After the death of his father, Chuck Bell spends the summer with grandparents and finds solace in basketball. Learn these words from the prequel to The Crossover.

In this historical novel-in-verse, German teenager Sophie Scholl joins a secret resistance group called the White Rose in order to oppose the Nazi regime.

In this verse novel, eleven-year-old Lonnie reflects on his life in foster care.

In Shange's groundbreaking "choreopoem," a series of African-American women, identified only by the colors they wear, deliver monologues about their lives.

These whimsical poems by modernist T.S. Eliot were originally written for Eliot's godchildren. The collected poems were eventually adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber for the musical Cats.

Edgar Lee Masters haunts the local residents of towns in which he grew up with more than 200 poetic portraits that are eerily familiar. Speaking from their graves, the characters reveal, confess, accuse, and advise. Bury yourself in this list to see what they are shoveling out. Read the full text here.

This poetry collection celebrates the ordinary events and everyday objects that make a neighborhood special.

In a sequence of 15 sonnets, award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson pays tribute to the young boy whose brutal, racially motivated murder outraged the country. This list includes words from Nelson's notes on the historical event and her writing process.