I did a similar post in 2022 and I thought I should highlight again new and upcoming novels in verse that book lovers should read anytime of the year, but particularly for National Poetry Month. Novels in Verse is a great form of writing and a unique way to get people, especially young readers interested in the poetry format. If you had not opportunity to give novels in verse a try, it’s not too late. There are so many touching moving verse novels that are great to begin with. However, if you are looking for verse novels released this year, here are some good recommendations:

New Releases

Lounder Than Hunger by John Schu

Jake volunteers at a nursing home because he likes helping people. He likes skating and singing, playing Bingo and Name That Tune, and reading mysteries and comics aloud to his teachers. He also likes avoiding people his own age . . . and the cruelty of mirrors . . . and food. Jake has read about kids like him in books–the weird one, the outsider–and would do anything not to be that kid, including shrink himself down to nothing. But the less he eats, the bigger he feels. How long can Jake punish himself before he truly disappears? A fictionalized account of the author’s experiences and emotions living in residential treatment facilities as a young teen with an eating disorder, Louder than Hunger is a triumph of raw honesty. With a deeply personal afterword for context, this much-anticipated verse novel is a powerful model for muffling the destructive voices inside, managing and articulating pain, and embracing self-acceptance, support, and love. (Credit: Candlewick Press)

The Boy Lost In The Maze by Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Kate Milner

Theo, a seventeen-year-old London schoolboy with a single mother, is desperate to track down the father who left them, whom he scarcely remembers. At school he discovers Greek mythology and the ancient story of Theseus, a fatherless son driven on a similar search. As Theo focuses on Theseus in a series of poems he composes, it becomes clear the two journeys echo each other in uncanny ways. Theseus must conquer his enemies–a psycho Cyclops, a tree-bending murderer, a monstrous pig–while Theo is tricked and double-crossed, confronting obstacles ranging from a search-agency scam artist to a depraved lawyer. Poet Joseph Coelho brilliantly interweaves the boys’ stories, following them through dangers, horrors, and false successes, revealing that Theo must be as resourceful and strong as his mythical hero. In a unique twist, readers are asked to take a role in picking which option the heroes should pursue when facing choices on their path to manhood. The two alternating stories, along with stories from the Minotaur’s perspective, fuse into one in a riveting climax, as the protagonists meet in the heart of the labyrinth. (Credit: Candlewick Press)

Where The Heart Should Be by Sarah Crossan

Ireland, 1846 Nell is working as a scullery maid in the kitchen of the Big House. Once she loved school and books and dreaming. But there’s not much choice of work when the land grows food that rots in the earth. Now she is scrubbing, peeling, washing, sweeping for Sir Philip Wicken, the man who owns her home, her family’s land, their crops, everything.

His dogs are always well fed, even as famine sets in. Upstairs in the Big House, where Nell is forbidden to enter, is Johnny Browning, newly arrived from England: the young nephew who will one day inherit it all. And as hunger and disease run rampant all around them, a spark of life and hope catches light when Nell and Johnny find each other. (Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing)

Ariel Crashes A Train by Olivia A. Cole

Ariel is afraid of her own mind. She already feels like she is too big, too queer, too rough to live up to her parents’ exacting expectations, or to fit into what the world expects of a “good girl.” And as violent fantasies she can’t control take over every aspect of her life, she is convinced something much deeper is wrong with her. Ever since her older sister escaped to college, Ariel isn’t sure if her careful rituals and practiced distance will be enough to keep those around her safe anymore.

Then a summer job at a carnival brings new friends into Ariel’s fractured world, and she finds herself questioning her desire to keep everyone out–of her head and her heart. But if they knew what she was really thinking, they would run in the other direction–right? Instead, with help and support, Ariel discovers a future where she can be at home in her mind and body, and for the first time learns there’s a name for what she struggles with–Obsessive Compulsive Disorder–and that she’s not broken, and not alone. (Credit: Labyrinth Road)

Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana

Nida has always been known as Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh’s niece – the poet who will fill her uncle’s shoes after he was wrongfully incarcerated during the war on terror. But for Nida, her poetry letters are her heart and sharing so much of herself with a world that stereotypes her faith and her hijab is not an option.

When Nida is illegally frisked at a Democratic Senatorial candidate’s political rally, she writes a scathing poem about the politician, never expecting the letter to go viral weeks before Election Day. Nida discovers her poem has won first place in a national contest, a contest she never entered, and her quiet life is toppled. But worst of all, Nida loses her ability to write poetry. In the aftermath of her win, Nida struggles to balance the expectations of her mother, her uncle, and her vibrant Muslim community with the person she truly wants to be. (Credit: Wednesday Books)

Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo

Bad girl. No matter how hard Samira tries, she can’t shake her reputation. She’s never gotten the benefit of the doubt–not from her mother or the aunties who watch her like a hawk.

Samira is determined to have a perfect summer filled with fun parties, exploring DC, and growing as a poet–until a scandalous rumor has her grounded and unable to leave her house. When Samira turns to a poetry forum for solace, she catches the eye of an older, charismatic poet named Horus. For the first time, Samira feels wanted. But soon she’s keeping a bigger secret than ever before–one that that could prove her reputation and jeopardize her place in her community. (Credit: Make Me a World)

Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio

Twelve-year-old Isabel is the new kid in her San Francisco middle school. It’s the first time in many years that she’ll be living with her mother again. Mama’s job in the US allowed Isabel and her grandparents to live more comfortably in the Philippines, but now Isabel doesn’t really know her own mother anymore.

Making new friends in a new city, a new country, is hard, but joining the gardening and cooking club at school means Isabel will begin to find her way, and maybe she too, will begin to bloom. (Credit: Wendy Lamb Books)

Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams by Shari Green

Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams is a historical YA novel in verse that centers around a young pianist in East Germany trying to make sense of love, duty, and the pursuit of dreams during the unsettled months of protest that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in the late 1980s. Written in stunning lyrical verse, Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams is a story of hope, courage, romance, and the power of music not only to change lives, but to save them. (Credit: Andrews McMeel Publishing)

Upcoming Releases

Wild East by Ashley Hickson-Lovence

Expected Publication Date: May 23

‘Pen in one hand, on my wrist, a ticking clock. I’ve got to make this work, just need a little luck…’

When fourteen-year-old Ronny’s life is struck by tragedy, his mum decides it’s finally time they move out of East London.

In his new city, as a Black teenager in a mostly white school, Ronny feels like a complete outsider and struggles to balance keeping his head down with his ambition of becoming a rapper.

But when a local poet comes into class, Ronny discovers a world he’s never considered before. Rap is like spoken word, bars equal poetry – and maybe the combination of both could be the key to achieving his dreams? (Credit: Penguin Random House Children’s UK)

If You Knew My Name by Lisa Roberts Carter

Expected Publication Date: May 28

Mason Zy’Aire Tyndall has big dreams. Dreams of sick beats, epic mic-drops, sold out stadiums. Mason’s going to be a rap star–and you don’t become a rap star by hitting up BLM protests with your mom or sitting at a desk. Mason wants to get out there and make a name for himself, but he’ll have to graduate high school first. And he can’t do that if he fails his senior year.

Convinced his poetry class is a waste of time, Mason’s teacher helps him see just how valuable a couplet and a rhyme can be. But when an unarmed Black man is killed by the police in his city, tensions start to rise–among the cops, the community, and even Mason’s peers.

Caught in the middle of increasingly violent conflicts, Mason will have to find a way to use his voice for change…and fast. (Credit: Central Avenue Teen)

And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps

Expected Publication Date: May 7

Joe Oak is used to living on unsteady ground. His mom can’t be depended on as she never stays around long once she gets “the itch,” and now he and his beloved grandmother find themselves without a home. Fortunately, Joe has an outlet in his journals and drawings and takes comfort from the lessons of comic books–superheroes have a lot of “and then, boom” moments, where everything threatens to go bust but somehow they land on their feet. And that seems to happen a lot to Joe too, as in this crisis his friend Nick helps them find a home in his trailer park. But things fall apart again when Joe is suddenly left to fend for himself. He doesn’t tell anyone he’s on his own, as he fears foster care and has hope his mom will come back. But time is running out–bills are piling up, the electricity’s been shut off, and the school year’s about to end, meaning no more free meals. The struggle to feed himself gets intense, and Joe finds himself dumpster diving for meals. He’s never felt so alone–until an emaciated little dog and her two tiny pups cross his path. And fate has even more in store for Joe, because an actual tornado is about to hit home–and just when it seems all is lost, his life turns in a direction that he never could have predicted. (Credit: Nancy Paulsen)

Lion of the Sky by Ritu Hemnani

Expected Publication Date: May 7

Twelve-year-old Raj is happiest flying kites with his best friend, Iqbal. As their kites soar, Raj feels free, like his beloved India soon will be, and he can’t wait to celebrate their independence.

But when a British lawyer draws a line across a map, splitting India in two, Raj is thrust into a fractured world. With Partition declared, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim families are torn apart–and Raj’s Hindu and Iqbal’s Muslim families are among them.

Forced to flee and become refugees, Raj’s family is left to start over in a new country. After suffering devastating losses, Raj must summon the courage to survive the brutal upheaval of both his country and his heart. (Credit: Balzer & Bray)

The Hidden Story of Estie Noor by Nadine Aisha Jassat

Expected Publication Date: May 9

When twelve-year-old Estie is expelled from school, she’s sent to stay with her aunt in Scotland over the summer. Even though nobody, not even her mum, asked to hear her side of the story.

Estie’s determined to keep her barriers up and stick to herself until the holidays are over. But when she comes across an intricately folded paper castle with a secret message written inside – a message from someone desperate to tell their own unbelieved story – a chord is struck, and Estie can’t help but follow the clues to the next piece of artwork. Who are these messages from? And what will their secret reveal about the town?

In helping to uncover the anonymous artist’s truth, Estie just might find the words to tell her own. . .(Credit: Hachette Children’s Group)

Sync by Ellen Hopkins (August 27)
Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi (September 10)
Heroes and Villains: Poems About Legends by Ana Sampson and illustrated by Chris Riddell (September 12)
A Two-Placed Heart by Doan Phuong Nguyen (September 24)
Black Star by Kwame Alexander (June 16)
When the Mapou Sings by Nadine Pinede (December 10)

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Stories in Verse: New & Upcoming Novels in Verse in 2024