I write historical YA in verseâpretty much the niche of the niche. Before I was published, I spent many years writing and querying various YA projects in prose, but it wasnât until I decided to try a project in verse that I really found my groove. Nowadays, everything I write falls under that same (small) umbrella, so I really looked to novels like the ones here to learn from the best. These days, I still love reading YA historicals and anything in verse, but YA historicals in verse remain forever my favorite.
Brown Girl Dreaming is an absolutely beautiful book. I found the writing simply stunning, with images that stayed with me long after I finished reading. I also loved the use of a variety of poetic forms and found the haiku especially effective in delivering powerful moments with a punch.
This book is a memoir, based on Woodsonâs years growing up in a tumultuous time to be a brown girl, placing YA readers in her head and heart during those years. Itâs no wonder that this heartfelt book won so many of the industryâs top awards.
The compelling story of a young Black girl growing up in 1960-70s America - a multi-award winning New York Times bestseller and President Obama's 'O' Book Club pick.
Brown Girl Dreaming is the unforgettable story of Jacqueline Woodson's childhood, told in vivid and accessible blank verse. She shares what it was like to grow up as an African-American in the wake of the Civil Rights movement, never truly feeling at home, and discovering the first sparks of an incredible, lifelong gift for writing. It's packed with wonderful reflections on family and on place, in a way that will appeal toâŠ
Blood Water Paint is an incredible #MeToo story based on the life of 17th century painter Artemisia Gentileschi. I found it timely and empowering, and Iâm sure it will hook even readers who don't generally love historical fiction.
Interspersed with Artemisiaâs own story are snippets from the biblical figures Judith and Susanna, who serve to inspire and empower her. While those stories are in prose, Artemisiaâs story shines in gorgeous, ferocious verse perfect for todayâs YA readers.
Her mother died when she was twelve, and suddenly Artemisia Gentileschi had a stark choice: a life as a nun in a convent or a life grinding pigment for her father's paint.
She chose paint.
By the time she was seventeen, Artemisia did more than grind pigment. She was one of Rome's most talented painters, even if no one knew her name. But Rome in 1610 was a city where men took what they wanted from women, and in the aftermath of rape Artemisia faced another terrible choice: a life of silence or a life of truth, no matter theâŠ
A spy school for girls amidst Jane Austenâs high society.
Daughters of the Beau Monde who donât fit London societyâs strict mold are banished to Stranje House, where the headmistress trains these unusually gifted girls to enter the dangerous world of spies in the Napoleonic wars. #1 NYT bestselling authorâŠ
Your Heart, My Sky is a gorgeous book set on the island of Cuba during a terrible period of starvation in the 1990s. The points of view of two young lovers and a stray dog work together to paint a full picture of both the bleak situation and their heightened emotions during this desperate time.
I found the romance to be the perfect bright spot as the protagonists and their families struggle to survive on the island they love. As always, Engleâs poetry sings as the perfect vehicle for this very personal story that YA fans will surely devour.
Acclaimed author Margarita Engle tells a âdeeply felt and engrossingâ (Horn Book Magazine) story of love in a time of hunger inspired by her own familyâs struggles during a dark period in Cubaâs history.
The people of Cuba are living in el perĂodo especial en tiempos de pazâthe special period in times of peace. Thatâs what the government insists that this era must be called, but the reality behind these words is starvation.
Liana is struggling to find enough to eat. Yet hunger has also made her brave: she finds the courage to skip a summer of so-called volunteer farmâŠ
Audacity is based on the life of Jewish immigrant Clara Lemlich, who fought for female workersâ rights in New York factories in the early 20th century. I found this verse novel gripping from its very first pages.
YA readers today will definitely identify with the young woman at the storyâs coreâespecially those who are familiar with the historical backdrop. Despite the difficulties the protagonist faces, her story is filled with hope and is told in beautifully-written verse.
The inspiring story of Clara Lemlich, whose fight for equal rights led to the largest strike by women in American history
A gorgeously told novel in verse written with intimacy and power, Audacity is inspired by the real-life story of Clara Lemlich, a spirited young woman who emigrated from Russia to New York at the turn of the twentieth century and fought tenaciously for equal rights. Bucking the norms of both her traditional Jewish family and societal conventions, Clara refuses to accept substandard working conditions in the factories on Manhattan's Lower East Side.âŠ
Fiercely opinionated and unapologetically peculiar, Marie Kuipers credits her New Jersey upbringing for her no-f*cks-given philosophy. As for why she spent most of her adult life underemployed, she points at her momâwho believes she knows better than God Himselfâfor that.
Weâre All Mad Here dares to peer behind the curtainâŠ
Here in Harlem pays homage to the people of Harlem in the first half of the 20th century. I loved how the rhythmic, musical verse brings the setting to life. Itâs modeled on Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, but in a completely unique way that will really speak to YA readers.
The voices depicted in this poetry collectionâespecially Clara Brownâs recurring testimoniesâmake the book feel like a fully alive story rather than simple moments captured in time.
Acclaimed writer Walter Dean Myers celebrates the people of Harlem with these powerful and soulful first-person poems in the voices of the residents who make up the legendary neighborhood: basketball players, teachers, mail carriers, jazz artists, maids, veterans, nannies, students, and more. Exhilarating and electric, these poems capture the energy and resilience of a neighborhood and a people.
Cleo Cooper is living the dream with ocean-dipping weekends, a good job, good friends, fair boyfriend, and a good dog. But, paradise is shaken when the body of a young woman is dragged onto a university research vessel during a class outing in Hilo Bay.
Zach, a young veteran, contemplates suicide after a horrific tour in Afghanistan when Ernest Hemingway appears and stops him. He enrolls in college, where he falls in love with Jessica, a young woman from a wealthy family. Her love stabilizes him, and Hemingwayâs appearances become less frequent until she doesnâtâŠ