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Poetry

3 of the Best New YA Novels in Verse

Tirzah Price

Senior Contributing Editor

Most of Tirzah Price's life decisions have been motivated by a desire to read as many books as humanly possible. Tirzah holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and has worked as an independent bookseller and librarian. She’s also the author of the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries, published by HarperTeen, and Bibliologist at TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations. Follow her on Twitter @TirzahPrice.

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Wednesday Books.

In her dramatic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless.

April is Poetry Month, and I couldn’t let it pass without talking about some really excellent novels in verse that should definitely be on your TBR stacks. There are so many awesome novels in verse hitting shelves in 2020 (that’s perhaps another post itself), but I wanted to highlight two that are out now, and one new release you can pick up next week. Here we go!

Turtle Under IceTurtle Under Ice by Juleah del Rosario

Ever since their mother died, sisters Rowena and Ariana have drifted apart, until they’re strangers in proximity. But when Rowena awakes once morning to discover that Ariana disappeared in the middle of the night—in the middle of a snowstorm—she must search for her sister, and also confront the painful reasons why Ariana is now gone, and how Rowena might have played a part in her disappearance. This is a novel about grief and sisterhood, with a little mystery thrown in. It’s also told in dual perspectives.

Three Things I Know Are TrueThree Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley

When Jonah and his best friend Clay take Clay’s father’s gun, Jonah accidentally shoots himself and is left clinging to life. His sister Liv finds her life changed abruptly—her brother needs intensive care, and her family is suing Clay’s. Liv struggles to hold onto hope as she’s the only one who believes that Jonah can still recover, and she refuses to ice out Clay, who is her friend as well, for a tragic accident. This is a powerful novel in verse about tragedy, forgiveness, and hope.

Clap When You LandClap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

National Book Award and Printz Award winner Elizabeth Acevedo returns to the form that launched her debut novel in this story about two sisters who don’t know each other and are united after tragedy. Camino loves summers in the Dominican Republic, because it’s when her father comes to visit. Yahaira is at school in Brooklyn when she gets the news that her dad died in a plane crash on a trip to the Dominican Republic. As they mourn their losses, they discover each other.

What are some of your favorite novels in verse? Let us know on our YA Instagram page!

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