Novels in Verse

Madrigal, or Maddie, likes order. Likes even numbers. Likes to count to keep calm. When her beloved older brother, Strum, leaves his college campus without a word about where he intends to go, Maddie’s orderly and neat world turns upside down.

As Elsie prepares her two daughters to go to sleep, the girls ask for a bedtime story. She obliges, and thus begins a magical tale of Mayari, one that conjures her path to becoming the moon goddess.

Stevie does what she can to know things. Whether it be creatures lurking in the deep ocean or stars and constellations in the night sky, she understands that knowledge is power. And Stevie’s knowledge gives her strength to quell anxious thoughts and feelings that threaten her peace.

Reha belongs to two worlds: one Indian and one American. She spends her weeks at school with her American best friend and her weekends “Indianing” with her Indian best friend. While Reha loves both worlds, she sometimes feels conflicted because of her parents’ expectations of who she should be.

During Ellie’s 5th birthday party, her whale swimsuit and pool antics resulted in a cruel nickname: Splash. Since then, she – now almost 12 – has been ruthlessly bullied about her weight.

The Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar – BOOK REVIEW

Betita’s father has told her the story many times before. Their people came from Aztlán, land of the cranes, a sanctuary somewhere in the present-day Southwest United States. Even though the people left the place of the cranes to establish a city, Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City), their people will one day return to Aztlán and live with the cranes once more.