Our Middle Grade book spotlight this week is on books that are Novels in Verse! Novels in verse are stories that are uniquely told through a series of poems instead of paragraphs; even if you are not the biggest fan of poetry I promise you will enjoy these!! You may not even realize that you are reading poetry as you turn page after page to get to the endings. We have everything this week from sports to historical and survival. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthverse as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new Middle Grade book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes--Garvey's father always hoped his son would be athletic, but Garvey is anything but. He'd much rather stick his nose in a science fiction book or stare at the stars than run or catch a football. Overweight and lonely, Garvey finds an unlikely refuge in the school choir, where he excels as their newest soloist. While finding his place in the world, Garvey might even find a new way of connecting with his father.
When Winter Robeson Came by Brenda Woods--It's the summer of 1965 when Eden's cousin Winter comes to stay with her family in Los Angeles for two weeks, and she expects to have some fun exploring the city with her cousin. She's surprised when Winter tells her he desperately wants to find out what happened to his father, who disappeared ten years ago in the Watts area of LA, so the two cousins set out to uncover the truth. But they soon find themselves in the middle of a dangerous conflict as the police clash with the Black residents in the Watts neighborhood.
Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose--After arriving in the New World in 1587 with her parents, twelve-year-old Alis befriends Kimi, a Roanoke Native girl. When tensions between the Roanokes and the English settlers erupt, Alis must make a difficult choice when her family decides to leave the area.
Knockout by K.A. Holt--Told in assonant free verse, Levi was once a premature baby who suffered from respiratory problems; he recovered, and now in seventh grade, he struggles to demonstrate to his divorced mother and over protective brother that he is okay--so when his father suggests he take up boxing he falls in love with the sport, but he still must find a way to convince his family to set him free to follow his dream.
A Slip of a Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff--In the late 1800s during the Irish Land Wars, Anna Mallon endures a series of tragedies, including the death of her mother and an older sibling leaving for America. And as the English landowners force poor Irish farmers off their land with increasingly brutal rents, a poor crop yield means Anna, her father, and a sister with special needs are in danger of being evicted from the family farm. Promising her mother to take care of her sister, Anna finds herself destitute, but determined to carve out a life for herself.
Serafina’s Promise by Ann Burg--In a poor village outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Serafina works hard to help her family, but dreams of going to school and becoming a doctor--then the earthquake hits and Serafina must summon all her courage to find her father and still get medicine for her sick baby brother as she promised.