SJPL Picks: Novels in Verse (~Grades 3-7)Like this list

50 items

• Hummingbird Season

  Lucianovic, Stephanie V. W.,

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  Grades 2-4. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Archie feels more alone than ever with the only bright spot being the hummingbirds that feed outside his window, but when California experiences its worst wildfire in history and his favorite…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kin

  Rooted in Hope

  Weatherford, Carole Boston, 1956-

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  Grades 4-6. Conjuring up voices of their kin, who are among the founders of Maryland, the author and her son trace their family history back five generations, painting a powerful portrait of a Black family tree shaped by enslavement and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Am Kavi

  Ponweera, Thushanthi,

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  Grades 4-7. As the Sri Lankan Civil War rages on in 1998 Colombo, Kavi pretends to be rich, loved and wanted in order to fit in with her wealthy, self-assured new classmates -- the complete opposite of what she is -- until she discovers…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Something Like Home

  Arango, Andrea Beatriz,

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  Grades 4+. Desperate to return home while staying with her aunt, Laura finds a puppy and decides that if she can train the puppy to become a therapy dog, she might be allowed to visit her parents - and then maybe things will go back to the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Land of Broken Promises

  Kuo, Jane,

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  Grades 4-7. After a rocky first year, Anna's family have settled into life in California--their small restaurant is even turning a profit. Then her parents make a shattering discovery: their visas have expired. Anna's world is quickly…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Call Me Adnan

  Faruqi, Reem,

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  Grades 3-7. Twelve-year-old Adnan dreams of making it to the Ultimate Table Tennis championship, but when tragedy strikes his family, Adnan loses his passion for table tennis and must learn to channel his grief and heal.

• A Work in Progress

  Lerner, Jarrett,

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  Grades 2-6. Hiding himself in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, Will resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance in an effort to win over his crush, until he meets someone who helps him see his body and all it…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• When Clouds Touch Us

  Lai, Thanhha,

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  Grades 4-8. This breathtaking novel in verse, inspired by the author’s experience, follows Hà and her family, refugees from the Vietnam War, as they move to Texas for a new job, and despite not wanting to start over again, Hà discovers…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Good Different

  Kuyatt, Meg Eden,

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  Grades 4-7/AR 5.1. Neurodivergent girl Selah, who always tries to keep her feelings in check — especially her anger — explodes at school one day, hitting a fellow student, and must figure out more about who she is in order to understand…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mirror to Mirror

  LaRocca, Rajani,

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  Grades 4-8. Unable to find their rhythm, once-close twin sisters Maya and Chaya make a bet: they'll switch places at summer camp and whoever can keep the ruse going the longest will get to make a life-changing decision, which isn't as easy…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• No Matter the Distance

  Baldwin, Cindy,

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  Grades 3-7/AR 5.8. The unexpected appearance of a dolphin in her backyard creek helps a sixth-grader with cystic fibrosis learn to write her own story.

• A Seed in the Sun

  Salazar, Aida,

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  Grades 3-7. While working under dangerous conditions, taking care of her younger siblings and her mother, and avoiding her father's volatile temper, farm-working Lula Viramontes joins the 1965 protest for migrant workers' rights along with…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Hope of Elephants

  Hill, Amanda Rawson,

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  Grades 4-6/AR 3.7. Told in blank verse, twelve-year-old Cass struggles to cope with her father's recurring cancers that have dominated her whole life, with the knowledge that he is likely to die soon because the latest recurrance is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rain Rising

  Comrie, Courtne,

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  Grades 3-7. Thirteen-year-old Rain, who struggles with low self-esteem, must overcome sadness after her older brother Xander is severely beaten up at a frat party, but through the help of an after-school circle group, Rain finds the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Odder

  Applegate, Katherine,

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  Grades 3-7/AR 5.6. Odder spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she's known. She's a fearless daredevil, curious to a fault. But when Odder comes…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Flipping Forward Twisting Backward

  Fullerton, Alma,

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  Grades 3-7. Hiding the fact that she cannot read by acting out in school, Claire, who is the best gymnast on her team, must find the strength to take on her reading challenges so that she doesn't jeopardize her spot in the qualifiers.

• Singing With Elephants

  Engle, Margarita,

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  Grades 3-6/AR 6.6 When an award-winning poet moves to town, Oriol learns that it takes courage to stay true to herself and do what she thinks is right--attempting to rescue a baby elephant in need--even if it means keeping secrets from…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Turn the Tide

  Dimopoulos, Elaine,

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  Grades 4-7. When her family relocates from Massachusetts to Florida, 12-year-old Mimi, inspired by a TED Talk, decides to clean up the plastic pollution she sees on the beaches despite the fact that this place has yet to feel like home.

• When Winter Robeson Came

  Woods, Brenda (Brenda A.)

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  Grades 4-6/AR 4.4. During the summer of 1965, when her cousin Winter comes for a visit, Eden is drawn into his investigation of his dad's disappearance 10 years earlier, and what they discover brings heartache and joy just as the Watts…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Burying the Moon

  Poulin, Andrée,

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  Grades 4-7/AR 4.1. In a village in India with no toilets, Latika has to do her business in a field under the cover of darkness. After her grandmother is stung by a scorpion and her sister is forced to leave school because she has reached…Read moreRead more of this annotation