Favorite Middle Grade Novels Written in Verse

By Sharon Creech | 128 pages

This charming little story is written from the perspective of Jack who is writing in a series of free-verse poems to his teacher, Miss Stretchberry. Jack hates poetry, but as he leans into Miss Stretchberry's assignment, he realizes he has things to say.

This is one of those books that I feel like should be required reading for childhood. And also, everyone needs a Miss Stretchberry in their life.

By Dusti Bowling | 336 pages

This fast-paced survival novel is hard to put down! It's been a year since a random shooting forever changed Nora's life. It's been a difficult and solitary year for Nora and her father and she longs for things to return to normal. But things are about to get much harder before they get easier!

While exploring a slot canyon in the Arizona desert, Nora and her father are separated by a flash flood that rips through the canyon. Suddenly Nora is lost and alone in the hot desert and she'll have to face all of her fears to save both herself and her father.

By Linda Sue Park | Illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng | 72 pages

This is a beautiful, thought provoking book and is an excellent conversation starter. When a teacher asks her class what one thing they'd save in an emergency, it turns into a really wonderful classroom debate about what we value and why. It's a quick read and the illustrations throughout are wonderful.

By Eileen Spinelli | 208 pages

I adore this book! Birdie is such a likeable character and I fell head over heels for her on the very first page.

After Birdie's father, a firefighter, is killed in the line of duty, Birdie and her mother move to a new town with her grandmother, Maymee. Birdie is having a difficult time adjusting, but it gets even harder when both her Mom and her grandma start dating. Even worse, the boy that Birdie likes, likes someone else.

This book is so funny and sweet - a perfect adolescent book!

By Megan E. Freeman | 416 pages

Twelve year old Maddie and her two best friends hatch a scheme for a secret sleepover. But when her friends bail on the plan, Maddie decides to just spend the night alone. However, when she wakes up she finds that she really is all alone - the town has been mysteriously evacuated and there's no one left. For months, Maddie has to figure out how to survive on her own.

This one keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to the very last page! It's an excellent survival adventure and a wonderful coming of age story for pre-teens.

By Nikki Grimes | 128 pages

This is a poignant book about being true to yourself. Garvey's father has always been athletic and though he tries to relate to his son through sports, Garvey isn't interested. Garvey likes science fiction and astronomy and hates sports. He gets bullied at school for being overweight and feels like he doesn't fit in at home. Things start to look up, however, when a friend encourages him to join the school chorus and he discovers both a love and a talent for music.

By Karen Hesse | 245 pages

My 12 year old was recently assigned this Newbery winner in school, so I read it again along with her. It's a heart wrenching, emotional story, but my daughter couldn't stop talking about it and it led to some really good dinner table conversations.

Set in the bleak landscape of depression era Oklahoma. The dust bowl has taken a heavy toll on Billie Jo's small town. Things go from bad to worse when Billie Jo and her mother are involved in a tragic accident that cripples Billie Jo and kills her mother.

While the story is bleak, it paints a realistic portrait of the time period and is an excellent portrayal of perseverance in the face of great hardship.

By Aimee Lucido | 432 pages

This is a middle grade masterpiece! 12-year old Emmy and her family just moved to a new city and Emmy is starting at a new school. Both of her parents are talented musicians, but as much as Emmy loves music, she has no musical abilities. However, when she signs up for a computer class at her new school, Emmy finally finds a tune she can actually sing and coding becomes her music.

This is an excellent middle grade book about making friends and having the courage to be yourself. It's a really compassionate and uplifting read!

By Marilyn Hilton | 400 pages

This is historical fiction at it's finest. It's 1969 and Apollo 11 is preparing for the moon. Mimi is half-Black, half-Japanese and dreams of being an astronaut, but in her predominately white Vermont town, she struggles to fit in. But while everyone balks at her mixed-race family, Mimi is determined to speak up for herself and follow her dreams.

By Laura Shovan | 272 pages

This big hearted book is a favorite of all of my kids! There are 18 kids in Ms. Hill's fifth-grade class. Because they know that Emerson Elementary is going to be torn down at the end of the schoolyear, they decide to write poems for a time capsule. It's funny, it's sad, it's moving, and it's an absolute delight to read!

By Caroline Starr Rose | 240 pages

This novel in verse follows May B. onto the Kansas prairie where she leaves her family to help out a neighboring homestead for a few months. But things don’t go as planned and May ends up stranded and alone for the winter. It’s reminiscent of the Little House books, but this is definitely the tougher side of prairie life.

The story is gripping and fast-paced. This is one of my favorite historical fiction books for middle grade readers!

By Thanhhà Lai | 288 pages

This Newbery honor book was actually inspired by the author's childhood experiences as a refugee fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon. It's a really phenomenal book about immigration and family.

By Rajani LaRocca | 224 pages

I listened to this Newbery Honor winner on audio and loved it! Reha feels like she's living two different lives - one as the only Indian-American student at school, and another at home with her family and all of their traditions and holidays. She struggles to convey her conflicted feelings to her parents and feels stifled by their strict expectations. But, when Reha finds out that her mother has leukemia, she decides she'll try to be the perfect daughter in hopes that it will save her mother's life.

This story is both heartbreaking and hopeful.

By Jacqueline Woodson | 176 pages

ZJ's dad, a talented pro-football star, is everyone's hero. ZJ looks up to him, and so do all the kids in the neighborhood. But lately, his dad is having trouble remembering things and is angry all the time. ZJ knows that it's a result of all the head injuries his dad sustained as a football player, but it doesn't make it any easier, especially when his own father forgets his name.

This is a beautifully written account of loss and grief.

By Ellie Terry | 336 pages

Not only does Calliope June have Tourette syndrome, she and her mom move frequently, which means she always feels like she doesn't fit in anywhere. This time around though, Calliope clicks with her new neighbor and finally finds a real friend. He, however, is the popular kid at school and Calliope doesn't know if he'll still be her friend in public once school starts.

I was so pleased to see Tourette Syndrome, an often misunderstood condition, shared in an accessible way for middle grade readers. Calliope will totally steal your heart!

By Kwame Alexander | 256 pages

This is a family favorite at our house. We've actually listened to the audiobook version in the car on road trips more than once. It is a phenomenal book (and a Newbery Medal winner)! Bonus: if this one is a hit for your readers, there are more in the series.

This is a spectacular coming of age story. 12 year old Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan are great basketball players. Josh, however, wants to do more than just basketball and he feels like he and his brother are growing apart as they're getting older. But both boys are about to realize that there's nothing more important than family.

This one is great on audio because then you can really experience the rhythm and language of this middle grade novel in verse.

By Jasmine Warga | 341 pages

This Newbery Honor winner is one of my favorites! When Jude and her mother escape from war-torn Syria, she has to leave behind her father and her brother. As Jude tries to settle in to her new home with family in Cincinnati, she can't stop worrying about her family back home, even as she is excited to American movies and starting school.

This is a really beautifully written story about finding home away from home.