Compilation of Novels in Verse...

Here are brief reviews/synopses of just a handful of teen fiction written in poetry or verse. Novels in verse are so awesome because they read super quickly, and because they are designed to pack a lot of punch into just a few words.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder is a typical "I love him so much, I can't live without him!" teenage chick book, except the boy in this one is actually dead. Ava still loves Jackson but she doesn't know how to get him to rest in peace, and how to go one living the rest of her own life. Also, check out Far from You. (YA SCHROEDER in the Teen Room)

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas is another heartbreaking novel of parental abuse. The twist on this one is that Anke can't figure out which is worse: the fact that her father beats on her older brother and sister, or the fact that he completely ignores her. Anke figures out how to take control when Dad crosses the line. (YA CHALTAS in the Teen Room)

Identical by Ellen Hopkins has so many twists and turns that you won't know what's real until the characters want you to know. All of Hopkins' novels in verse are emotionally wrought and sometimes heartbreaking, but they are worth every word. Tricks is coming out soon! But in the meantime, it's worth your while to seek out Crank (and its sequel Glass), Burned, and Impulse. (YA HOPKINS in the Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian