5 Amazing Novels in Verse to Add to Your Middle Grades Classroom Library

Novels in verse have become an ever-growing, popular genre for middle grades readers. They combine the beauty of poetry with the power of narrative storytelling. It is no wonder that these bite-sized books are increasingly common on the shelves of classroom and school libraries. Here are 5 Amazing Novels in Verse to Add to Your Middle grades Classroom Library. They are must-haves if you are looking for incredible novels in verse to make available to your students or even consider teaching them at all.

Starfish | Lisa Fipps

Lisa Fipps’ Starfish is a tour-de-force. This novel-in-verse is perfect. It is equal parts honest, raw, and heartbreaking while still funny, hopeful, and inspiring. Ellie’s journey to self-acceptance is powerful; the transformation unforgettable. Most importantly, Ellie’s transformation has nothing to do with changing her body. The messages inherent in this narrative will be the life preserver so many people, young and old, need as they navigate body image issues and the pressure to conform to a world obsessed with defining beauty in narrow, thin terms. Ellie, half-Jewish and half-Christian, is indicated as White, while Catalina is Mexican American.

Middle grade readers reap invaluable benefits from reading Ellie’s story. Starfish provides endless discussion opportunities and a lens with which to critically think about today’s society and its standards of beauty. Readers undoubtedly come to accept themselves just little more in the same way Ellie comes to embrace herself. Such impactful books are rare, and Fipps’ Starfish is just what the doctor ordered for 2021.

Read full review here.

The Door of No Return | Kwame Alexander

The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander is a riveting and raw telling of a young Asante person’s life in his village and his harrowing capture by slave traders. The juxtaposition of that rich life and the slave trade’s horrors make for a powerful account. Alexander’s realistic portrayal of Kofi’s life is at once beautiful then devastating when Kofi loses it all. Just as importantly, Alexander begins the novel, the first of three, from a West African perspective that eventually looks West. This shift gives voice to Kofi and his full humanity, amplifying all that is lost as a result of the slave trade. It centers Kofi’s point of view, and the tragedy he endures will certainly echo throughout the trilogy. The Door of No Return, a novel-in-verse, is steeped in history and its catastrophic consequences, a story that remains relevant and powerful to this day.

The rich history of African empires oftentimes gets glossed over in the classroom. Not only does The Door of No Return provide educators an opportunity to explore the vast influence of these empires – the Asante in particular – but also the devastating effects of the slave trade on these cultural epicenters. While two more novels follow, The Door of No Return stands alone and provides teachers with ample opportunities to examine a consequential and tragic period in history from an invaluable perspective – that is, one rooted in the East rather than the West. While seemingly a small distinction, its importance is evidenced through the emotional narrative Alexander gifts readers and the enduring impact it leaves on them.

Read full review here.

Before the Ever After | Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson’s Before the Ever After is a superb, moving piece of literature. Told in verse, Woodson’s stunning story will deeply move readers of any age. It is, quite simply, outstanding. Woodson’s writing style is at once lyrical and stark as it intimately portrays a family coping with a new, grim reality. Through the challenges that arise from the physical and mental suffering of ZJ’s father’s and ZJ’s grief over an abrupt end to a beloved way of life, readers are forced to confront tough questions about sport, the love of the game, and the responsibility of an individual and organization for the health and wellbeing of its players. There are no easy answers, especially when one starts to consider how society values those that give their mind, body, and soul to sports for the entertainment and enjoyment of others.

Before the Ever After is a must-read. Its execution is exquisite. Its depth bottomless. Its importance paramount. ZJ’s and his family’s story will resonate with lovers of the game of football, watchers of the game, and haters of the game. It is accessible to everyone for reasons far beyond sport. A teacher only needs to decide how deeply they want their students to explore the challenging themes and topics Before the Ever After captures.

Read full review here.

Land of the Cranes | Aida Salazar

Aida Salazar’s The Land of the Cranes is a stunning novel in verse. Betita’s story humanizes the news headlines about undocumented immigrants, their experiences in the United States, and the consequences of policies that affect them. It demands readers engage the subject with deep empathy. The prolific crane metaphor drives home all the novel’s literary elements, from character to conflict to theme, and the imagery of it captures Betita’s story perfectly. While 2020 seems to be the year for novels in verse, The Land of the Cranes is aptly suited for the style. Its content, covering undocumented immigrants, detention centers, and family separation, are heavy topics for young readers, but they are topical. Meanwhile, the verse makes the issues accessible. The bite-size poems reveal a stunning truth but do so in a way that allows young people to grapple with the injustices and dehumanizing experiences they tell about detained immigrants in the US.

The Land of the Cranes is heartbreaking, powerful, and perspective-changing. Middle grade readers would greatly benefit from reading Betita’s story. Coupled with a cross-curricular study about the history of immigration and the United States, students would develop not only a more thorough understanding of immigration’s complicated place in American history but also a better understanding of the debates still occurring about it. The Land of the Cranes also presents an opportunity to infuse art into the ELA and History classroom. Using Betita’s work as a springboard, such an inclusion allows for even deeper analysis of and self-reflection about the novel’s complex topics. The topics merit that time. Rightfully, it applies a lens that helps students better understand the country’s past, present, and future.

Read full review here.

Red White and Whole | Rajani LaRocca

Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca is a heartfelt and heartbreaking novel in verse. Let me be clear, LaRocca’s incredibly talented. While written in verse, readers will walk away feeling as if they read a novel in prose. Red, White, and Whole’s bite-sized poems are deftly crafted and make a powerful impact. The novel’s themes, the portrayal of Indian culture, character development, and conflicts all shine. They do so effortlessly and in concert with one another, which once again is a testament to LaRocca’s storytelling aptitude. In her hands, Reha’s story is touching, relatable, and important. Readers will certainly agree.

While 2020 seemed like the year for novels in verse, LaRocca is carrying the torch into 2021 (and beyond)and setting a new bar. Educators should want a class set of Red, White, and Whole for their students. The  book can be used as a center for literature circles, taught whole class, or in a number of other ways. The story is at once universal and unique. Young readers from all walks of life can connect with Reha and her struggles. As a result, they are also be able to learn from her journey as well. Red, White, and Whole is both sad and uplifting, conflicted and determined, despairing and hopeful. Just as Reha lives in two worlds, readers find themselves relating to the emotional toll of grappling with your identity and finding your place. They are timeless themes and LaRocca explores them in a compelling way.

Read full review here.