Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Occasionally, new books are released that are written in the form of poetry. That is to say, the entire story is told through one poem (or, more often, many different poems) that push the character and plot development forward.
This is such a creative way to tell a story! Here are some examples of books written this way that I’ve enjoyed.
1. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
2. Sold by Patricia McCormick
3. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
4. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
5. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
6. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Unknown
7. Booked (The Crossover, #2) by Kwame Alexander
8. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
The ones of these I’ve read—#1, 3, and 4—are such powerful stories.
For sure!
I keep meaning to try Sir Gwain!
I think you’d like it.
Ooh, yes! I don’t read many books in verse but I loved Clap When You Land and The Poet X! Another book in verse I enjoyed immensely is Punching the Air. It also had beautiful artwork to accompany the verse. Great take on the topic 🙂
Ooh, cool. Looking it up now. Thanks, Dini.
Great topic! I loved Clap When You Land and want to read more of her books. I can only think of one other, with chapters from one character’s perspective written in prose and the other main character’s written in verse (Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rene Rossner). I remember my daughter reading Out of the Dust way back when, and loving it!
That book sounds good! I’m glad your daughter loved Out of the Dust.
Fab topic!
Thank you.
I’ve read about books that use this as the way they tell a story, but don’t think I’ve ever read one that does. Probably the closest I’ve coming is letters with titles like Dear Mr. Knightley or ‘Guernsey.’ 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting my list today!
That’s cool, Rissi, and you’re welcome.
I’m not a huge fan of poetry, but I really like when authors use it for an effect.
I hear you there!
I haven’t read any poetry, but this topic makes me want to check it out.
I hope you like them!
I always like your posts. I guess I didn’t realize Sir gawain was by an unknown but it makes sense as it’s so old.
Happy Tues!
It’s great to hear from you again, Greg! I wish we knew who wrote that story. Maybe there were multiple writers?
YES! love novels in verse! I included one on my list this week…Paper Hearts.
Woohoo!
Great list! I’ve read the two books by Elizabeth Acevedo that you mentioned, but none of the others so far. I do enjoy books written in verse, though, so I’ll have to check out some of the others you mentioned.
I hope you like them. 🙂
I love Elizabeth Acevedo! Her books are so good.
Exactly.
I have only read Brown Girl Dreaming and Clap When You Land, but I will be checking out some of the others. I think the only other one I’ve read is Paper Hearts. Nice choice this week, Lydia.
Thank you. Hope you like them.
What a great and unique topic! I don’t know that I have read many books written in verse. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome. 🙂
I’ve read Clap When You Land and also some books by Sarah Crossan written in verse. However, I’m not a fan of this kind of format as it feels like I have to think harder when reading if you understand what I mean.
No worries. We all have different tastes. 🙂
A great topic and awesome list this week, Lydia! I never realized that books in verse were a thing aside from those long, epic poems that we had to read in high school, and I didn’t and still really don’t enjoy reading poetry.
Reading Clap When You Land was my first experience with a book in verse, quickly followed by The Poet X, since I really liked the way the story is told. Since then, I’ve read a few more, but I especially liked The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner. Only one of the two POVs is in verse, but it’s a beautiful story, and I didn’t even realize it was in verse until afterwards – it’s one of the things that don’t carry over well into audiobook narration.
Thanks for the list, so I know what I need to read next!
Thank you!
I feel like this is becoming a more popular form of storytelling in the last few years. Fingers crossed we get more great books in verse soon.
I didn’t know that Brown Girl Dreaming was written in verse, very cool. I’m glad you found so many that you enjoyed😁
Thanks. 🙂
I don’t think I’ve read many books told in verse. I would love to read Gawain and the Green Knight though!
May you enjoy it!
I enjoy verse novels, too! It’s surprising to me how impactful they can be even though they don’t use as many words as a traditional novel. BROWN GIRL DREAMING is one of my very favorite books-in-verse. Woodson is such a talented writer, no matter what genre she chooses. Great list.
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
Yes, that’s so very true! They pack a lot of meaning into their poems. Happy belated TTT!
Great topic! I loved Clap When You Land!
Thank you. 🙂
I love verse books and have read almost all of these!
Oh, nice!
The Poet X and Clap When You Land are favorite books of mine. I love the audiobooks for them that Elizabeth Acevedo narrates herself. Top tier. Great list!
Ooh, that sounds good! And thanks.
I’m not a fan of verse, so I might not have found ten books for that topic.
I have read Out of the Dust but can’t remember how it was written. All I know is that I enjoyed it. So, maybe, from time to time, I do like it. LOL
Thanks for visiting my post:
https://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/top-ten-tuesday-expats.html
No worries, there. We all have different tastes. 🙂
It’s been a long time since I read Out of the Dust, too.