Little kids grow up loving rhyming text in picture books, and you can nurture their taste for lyrical lit as they get older with entertaining poetry collections and novels in verse. Our list offers a variety of fiction and nonfiction, memoir and biography, rhymes and free verse for tweens. Whether you’re looking for a good introduction to poetry, a collection for a die-hard fan, or an accessible novel for your reluctant reader, here are some great titles to choose from.
“Outside the Box,” by Karma Wilson
Ages 7 and older
4 out of 5 stars
Irreverent collection offers mind-opening poems for kids.
“Full Cicada Moon,” by Marilyn Hilton
Ages 9 and older
5 out of 5 stars
Girl beats stereotypes in powerful free-verse novel.
“Poet Depot: Aisles of Smiles,” by Douglas Florian
Ages 9 and older
5 out of 5 stars
Short, funny poems a sure bet to delight kids.
“Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement,” by Carole Boston Weatherford
Ages 9 and older
5 out of 5 stars
Frank, poetic picture book bio has dazzling art.
“Brown Girl Dreaming,” by Jacqueline Woodson
Ages 10 and older
5 out of 5 stars
Excellent poems depict coming of age in tumultuous 1960s.
“I Lived on Butterfly Hill,” by Marjorie Agosin
Ages 10 and older
5 out of 5 stars
Moving story of Chilean girl’s escape from a dictatorship.
“Inside Out and Back Again,” by Thanhha Lai
Ages 10 and older
5 out of 5 stars
Inspiring, educational immigrant story told in free verse.
“Addie on the Inside,” by James Howe
Ages 11 and older
5 out of 5 stars
Vivacious seventh grader expresses herself in vivid poems.
“The Red Pencil,” by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Ages 11 and older
5 out of 5 stars
Moving verse tale of girl’s experience in Darfur genocide.
“American Ace,” by Marilyn Nelson
Ages 12 and older
5 out of 5 stars
Moving, fast-paced novel-in-verse; great for teen boys.
“Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings,” by Margarita Engle
Ages 12 and older
4 out of 5 stars
Poignant memoir-in-verse recalls Cuban-American’s childhood.
“How I Discovered Poetry,” by Marilyn Nelson
Ages 12 and older
5 out of 5 stars
Poet’s moving memoir in free verse charts ‘50s childhood.
“Under the Mesquite,” by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Ages 12 and older
4 out of 5 stars
Latina teen faces mom’s cancer in award-winning verse novel.
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