April is National Poetry Month! In celebration of this national observation month, we’re spotlighting verse novels, stories told entirely through poetry. Verse novels can provide readers with the opportunity to explore the storytelling potential of poetry and can inspire readers to use poetry as a storytelling device.

This month’s list features a collection of titles to use with readers ages 10-13, covering a wide range of topics and themes. Check out the featured titles and download your free guide:

Modern Themes

• Brushing Mom’s Hair by Andrea Cheng and Nicole Wong
• Eva of the Farm by Dia Calhoun
• After the River the Sun by Dia Calhoun
• Moo by Sharon Creech
• Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
• Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
• Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech

Historical Fiction

• Silver People: Voices From the Panama Canal by Margarita Engle
• The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
• Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate
• Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse
• Witness by Karen Hesse
• Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

 

Download our PDF guide
for more information about each title.

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Robin Morgan Huntley

Robin joined Hilltown Families in 2011 as an intern and has remained with the organization ever since, first volunteering as a community-based education correspondent until 2016 and now as a contributing writer. Robin is a graduate of Hampshire College and Antioch University New England, where she studied place- and community-based education. She lives on the banks of the Sheepscot River in Maine, where she and her husband are working to start a small farm. Robin teaches at Juniper Hill School for Place-Based Education and is the founder of our first affiliate Community-Based Education Network™, Dirigo Learning.