Poetry, as an art form, has been around since the first stories were told around campfires. It is an ancient art form and, in the poems many are assigned to read in school, it shows. Many people think of poetry as bland, boring, and something that needs explaining. There’s nothing wrong with classical poetry, and it will be enjoyed in the future just as it is enjoyed now.

These stories for teens and about tens below are powerful, modern stories that just happen to be told in verse. What exactly is a novel in verse? Narrative poetry, chapters told in stanzas that may meet the traditional forms of poetry, or destroy them altogether to create something new. Song lyrics, real life experiences, and a desire to tell a story all come together to inspire flowing, meaningful narratives. Novels in verse may seem short, but that doesn't mean that they are lighter reading. Think of slam poetry on a page—deep, thoughtful stories that mean something, that are personal and universal at the same time. That is what makes up this list.

Audacity by Melanie Crowder

Inspired by a true story, Audacity tells a tale that is as timely as ever—a story of immigration, of poor working conditions, and of the American Dream. Clara Lemlich, a young Russian Jewish immigrant, takes a dangerous job in a garment factory in order to support her family. Living in tenement buildings on the Lower East Side in the early 1900s, she is no stranger to struggle and strife. Yet Clara believes that she and the other young women who toil away in the factories just like her deserve more. Better working conditions. More support from their employers or the city. The chance to make their own choices about whether they have to work in these factories at all. When tragedy strikes, Clara knows what she must do not only to earn the chance to study another day and work another day, but to live another day at all.

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullogh

“I wish men 
would decide
If women are heavenly
Angels on high,
Or earthbound sculptures
For their gardens.
But either way we’re beauty 
For consumption.”

Artemisia paints the masterpieces. Her father makes the money. She is his apprentice, in a time when women are not expected to be much at all. Artemisia tries to be grateful, considering herself lucky to paint at all even as she knows that her father is taking advantage of her. In Rome, 1610, that is what happens to young women. When a man takes far too much advantage of her, Artemisia is left to pick up the pieces. With a controlling father, distant brothers, and a long-dead mother, Artemisia has to be the one to put her life back together and find a way to paint again.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevado

Camino lives in the Dominican Republic, longing for the days she will be able to heal her people as her aunt does. Yahaira lives in New York City, obeying every rule. These two young women have never met, and share only one thing—their father. A father who is among the victims of a plane crash. The plane drops out of the sky and takes both girls with it. Told in alternating viewpoints, the story of how one man impacts two girls living worlds away is one of family, loss, and forgiveness.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevado

Emoni dreams of being a chef. Ever since she was a toddler, sprinkling spices into her grandmother's pot, she has belonged to the heat and passion of the kitchen. She already cooks for her friends, her grandmother, and her child. Emma—mostly called "baby girl" by Emoni—is two years old when Emoni enters her senior year of high school. As a teen mother, Emoni gave up a lot for her child. When her school offers a brand new culinary arts, including a week of learning and cooking in Spain, Emoni knows that it is not for her. After all, with her other classes, her job, and her baby, when will she find the time or the money? Emoni's struggle to figure out how to balance what's important to her while also chasing her dreams is a meaningful look into what it means to reach for the stars.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

Michael has always had a problem belonging. Living in London and shuffled between his mother’s Greek-Cypriot family and his father’s Jamaican family, he doesn’t feel Greek enough, and he doesn’t feel Black enough. As he starts to come to terms with the fact that he is gay, he starts to crave more of a community. This culminates in a spur-of-the-moment decision in college—he joins the Drag Society, and the Black Flamingo comes to life. With his new identity, new support, and new experience, Michael hopes to be able to make sense of the life he’s lived, and the life that remains. The writing is as powerful and lyrical as the poetry Michael shares at open mic night, and will stick with readers long after the last line.

I Am Here Now by Barbara Bottner

Her mother is abusive. Her father is always leaving. Her brother is a mystery to her. Maisie is starting high school, and she doesn’t know much. All she understands is the flashlight language she has created with a friend, and her drawings. Everything else in her life is up in the air, up to the whims of her mother and the fancies of her father. Maisie looks for identity with her Hungarian grandmother, seeks identity in her temple. Yet she finds it in a friend, Rachel, and her mother Kiki. Artists and art alike, these women show Maisie a life she has never known. Maisie wants more, but does not know if she can give up what little she understands for a future she knows nothing about.

One by Sarah Crossan

Grace and Tippi, named after legendary stars of the silver screen, have never been alone. Being born joined at the hip has ensured that they always have a companion, but also that they have been sequestered from the rest of society and spent much of their lives in hospitals. Yet they made it to sixteen, despite being told that they would not survive adolescence. They are attending school for the first time in their lives, and Grace is nervous but excited to let other people into their lives. Friends, dates, even just walking freely among the rest of humanity—these are all things that they have to explore for the first time. So when Grace starts to feel sick, she doesn’t want to say anything, not even to Tippi. She doesn’t want to ruin what they have, and what they could have. In accessible but meaningful language, One explores family, future, and the meaning of identity.

Solo by Kwame Alexander

Blade is the son of a washed up rockstar. His father’s legacy of failure and tragedy follows him wherever he goes. His girlfriend, Chapel, is his everything, and all he wants is to make music with her. Chapel’s parents don’t want her dragged into the world of rock n’ roll, assuming that Blade is just like his father. Blade keeps trying, though. “My life is, hmmm, inconvenient.” Dotted with Blade’s lyrics, Solo is a story of family and legacy, hope and the future. Blade’s father is in and out of rehab. His sister wants to be the next big thing but can’t get her feet off the ground and his mother? A memory. His girl is snatched from his fingers, leavng an empty hand to grasp a new, expected chance for change: a ticket to Ghana. How does a child escape his father’s shadow without leaving his family behind? How does he find a new family without losing himself in the process?

Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley

In flowing verse, Liv tells the story of her brother, Jonah, and the life they live after he accidentally shot himself. An accident. Two teen boys and a father’s gun. A Saturday afternoon that changed the lives of an entire neighborhood and left Jonah hooked up to machines in his living room. Neither Liv nor her mother know what to do with their own lives. Liv’s mother says that Jonah is gone. She won’t even say his name. Jonah’s friend Clay, who witnessed the accident, isn’t allowed to come by and see Jonah. The town is split, and so is Liv. With an upcoming trial, she must decide who she is, and what the people around her mean to her—before it’s too late.

When You Ask Me Where I’m Going by Jasmin Kaur

Told in lyrics, in verse, in prose, and in illustration, When You Ask Me Where I’m Going explores what it means to be a young woman in a world that does not want to hear from young women. “Scream so that one day, a hundred years from now, another sister will not have to dry her tears, wondering where in history she lost her voice.” Inspired by poets and singers, inspired by the injustice of murdered girls, Kaur tells the story of Kiran, who escapes trauma and tragedy to raise her daughter Sahaara, undocumented in Northern America.

White Rose by Kip Wilson

In 1943, Sophie Schell waits for her sentencing. Her crime? Distributing pamphlets that speak against Hitler’s regime. The punishment? Death. Kip Wilson tells the true story of Sophie’s work with the White Rose, a non-violent resistance group of university students that spoke out against Hitler’s power with leaflets and graffiti. At the core of the group were university students, all of them risking their own lives to save the lives of others. Words dance across the page as readers are pulled through Sophie’s life, and even history buffs who know what will happen will be glued to “White Rose” until the very end.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!