10 Best Poetic Young Adult Books to Feel the Power of Words
Are you ready for a ride on a wave of emotions? To feel your heart flutter with love, tremble with fear, and ache with sorrow – all in just a few lines on a page? Then welcome, my dear reader, to the magnificently poignant world of poetic young adult literature. This genre, often overlooked due to its target audience, contains some of the most soulful, authentic, raw portrayals of life. You'll find tales of adolescence in vividly embellished tales, burning passion, and aching heartaches that evoke powerful emotions. And the magic lies not just within the content but also the spellbinding prose. Every word, sentence and paragraph is a vivid brushstroke contributing to a stunning masterpiece of literary art. So, let's dive in to explore the top 10 gems of this beautiful genre - poetic young adult books that not only tell a story but also make you feel and live it. Let me warn you though, you'll be spoiled for regular books once you relish the magic of these masterpieces. Buckle up, bookworms. An unforgettable literary experience awaits!
『Ain't Burned All the Bright』
A Caldecott Honor winner! Prepare yourself for something unlike anything: A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now. Written by #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds. Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin, had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop, in about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW. And so for anyone who didn’t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you’ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.
Author | Jason Reynolds |
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Price | $10.99 |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Release Date | Jan 11, 2022 |
Source | Google Books |
『Nothing Burns as Bright as You』
Five starred reviews! From New York Times bestselling author Ashley Woodfolk, Nothing Burns as Bright as You is an impassioned stand-alone tale of queer love, grief, and the complexity of female friendship. Two girls. One wild and reckless day. Years of tumultuous history unspooling like a thin, fraying string in the hours after they set a fire. They were best friends. Until they became more. Their affections grew. Until the blurry lines became dangerous. Over the course of a single day, the depth of their past, the confusion of their present, and the unpredictability of their future is revealed. And the girls will learn that hearts, like flames, aren’t so easily tamed. It starts with a fire. How will it end?
Author | Ashley Woodfolk |
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Price | $9.99 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release Date | Apr 05, 2022 |
Source | Google Books |
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Price | unknown |
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Source | Google Books |
『Lullabies』
Set to a musical theme, love's poetic journey in this new, original collection begins with a Duet and travels through Interlude and Finale with an Encore popular piece from the best-selling Love & Misadventure. Lang Leav's evocative poetry speaks to the soul of anyone who is on this journey. Leav has an unnerving ability to see inside the hearts and minds of her readers. Her talent for translating complex emotions with astonishing simplicity has won her a cult following of devoted fans from all over the world. Lang Leav is a poet and internationally exhibiting artist.
Author | Lang Leav |
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Price | $9.99 |
Publisher | Andrews McMeel Publishing |
Release Date | Sep 16, 2014 |
Source | Google Books |
『Chlorine Sky』
"An absolute masterpiece." -Elizabeth Acevedo, New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X From the first ever poet-in-residence at Lincoln Center comes a bold coming-of-age story told in verse about a young woman who loses a best friend, but finds herself in the process. The joys of basketball, the tumult of high school, and the bonds of family are lyrically woven together in this must-read novel. With Lay Li I don’t have to think too hard I’m the friend of the star & I don’t mind, not at all It gives me time to think about my dreams & the WNBA But when I call Lay Li & she don’t pick up A pit in my stomach grows like a redwood tree Sky is used to standing in the shadow of her best friend. Lay Li is the sun everyone orbits around. But since high school started, Lay Li has begun attracting the attention of boys, and Sky is left out in the cold. The only place Sky can find her footing is on the basketball court. With each dribble of the ball, Sky begins to find her own rhythm. Lay Li may always be the sun, but that doesn’t mean Sky can’t shine on her own. With gritty and heartbreaking honesty, a critically acclaimed poet, delivers her first novel in verse about broken promises, fast rumors, and learning to generate your own light. “A story about heart and backbone, and one only Mahogany L. Browne could bring forth.” –Jason Reynolds, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Long Way Down
Author | Mahogany L. Browne |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Crown Books for Young Readers |
Release Date | Jan 12, 2021 |
Source | Google Books |
『We Are All So Good at Smiling』
They Both Die at the End meets The Bell Jar in this haunting, beautiful young adult novel-in-verse about clinical depression and healing from trauma, from National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride. Whimsy is back in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. When she meets a boy named Faerry, she recognizes they both have magic in the marrow of their bones. And when Faerry and his family move to the same street, the two start to realize that their lifelines may have twined and untwined many times before. They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane. The Forest whispers to Whimsy. The Forest might hold the answers to the part of Faerry he feels is missing. They discover the Forest holds monsters, fairy tales, and pain that they have both been running from for 11 years.
Author | Amber McBride |
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Price | $9.99 |
Publisher | Feiwel & Friends |
Release Date | Jan 10, 2023 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Truth Project』
“A heart-wrenching quest for identity every YA reader will relate to, and a deep dive into the meaning of family." —Ellen Hopkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author Debut author Dante Medema explores the emotional fallout after a teenage girl discovers she is the product of an affair. Told through a series of poems, text messages, and emails, this contemporary YA is perfect for fans of Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin. Seventeen-year-old Cordelia Koenig intended to breeze through her senior project. While her peers stressed, Cordelia planned to use the same trace-your-roots genealogy idea her older sister used years prior. And getting partnered with her longtime crush, Kodiak Jones, is icing on the cake. All she needs to do is mail in her DNA sample, write about her ancestry results, and get that easy A. But when Cordelia’s GeneQuest results reveal that her father is not the person she thought he was, but a stranger who lives thousands of miles away, her entire world shatters. Now she isn’t sure of anything—not the mother who lied, the man she calls Dad, or the girl staring back at her in the mirror. If your life began with a lie, how can you ever be sure of what's true?
Author | Dante Medema |
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Price | $6.99 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release Date | Oct 13, 2020 |
Source | Google Books |
『Paint Me Like I Am』
Today my name is colorful. Yesterday my name was dead souls. Tomorrow my name will be lively spirits. My friends think my name is fire. The police think my name is burden. My parents think my name is symphony. Secretly I know my name is anything I want it to be. Paint Me Like I Am is a collection of poems by teens who have taken part in writing programs run by a national nonprofit organization called WritersCorps. To read the words of these young people is to hear the diverse voices of teenagers everywhere. Included are a foreward by acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni, an essay from Kevin Powell, another poet associated with WritersCorps, and writing tips from WritersCorps instructors. WritersCorps was started in 1994 to help at-risk youth in three American urban centers: San Francisco, Washington, DC, and New York City (the Bronx). Thousands of children and teenagers have since benefited from finding creative expression through writing.
Author | Bill Aguado/Richard Newirth |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Harper Collins |
Release Date | Feb 18, 2003 |
Source | Google Books |
『Blue Lipstick』
In this irreverent companion to "Technically, It's Not My Fault," a 15-year-old girl named Jessie voices typical teenage concerns through poems that are inventive, irresistible, and full of surprises--just like Jessie--and the playful layout and ingenious graphics extend the wry humor. Illustrations.
Author | John Grandits |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
Release Date | Jan 01, 2007 |
Source | Google Books |
『What Goes Up』
Brimming with humor, multiple dimensions, and a saving-the-world adventure, this is accessible sci-fi that's perfect for fans of Andrew Smith or Patrick Ness. Rosa and Eddie are among hundreds of teens applying to NASA's mysterious Interworlds Agency. They're not exactly sure what the top-secret program entails, but they know they want in. Rosa has her brilliant parents' legacies to live up to, and Eddie has nowhere else to go--he's certainly not going to stick around and wait for his violent father to get out of jail. Even if they are selected, they have no idea what lies in store. But first they have to make it through round after round of crazy-competitive testing. And then something happens that even NASA's scientists couldn't predict . . . From the author of the acclaimed Learning to Swear in America comes another high-stakes adventure that's absolutely out of this world. Praise for Learning to Swear in America A Summer/Fall 2016 Indies Introduce selection An Indie Next Pick
Author | Katie Kennedy |
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Price | $7.38 |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing USA |
Release Date | Jul 18, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
In conclusion, the magic of Young Adult literature artfully intertwines with the power of poetry in these ten signs of literary brilliance. These emotionally charged narratives are likely to leave you reeling, compelled to think, and maybe even inspire you to pick up a pen yourself. Each title encapsulates a unique spectrum of the human experience, delivered in verses that will seep deep into your soul. Their powerful depiction of all-too-relatable characters and struggles, buoyed by gorgeous, lyrical language, are exactly what makes these books cut above the rest. Whether you're an old hand at verse novels or a first-time explorer of the genre, these selections have something to captivate any kind of reader. These are not just books; they are experiences that you take, journeys you embark upon and a lesson you learn about the beauty, heartache, and immense possibility found in the everyday moments of life. It's high time to turn the page and dive into these incredible stories – after all, isn't that what literature is for? To feel, to empathize, and most importantly, to see the world from a different perspective. Enjoy the ride and happy reading, folks!
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