Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Teen Novels in Verse


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Cover art for SISTERS OF GLASS
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 27, 2012

"A fiery, feminist love story young teens, particularly girls, should just devour. (Verse novel. 11 & up)"
Love and conventional roles for women collide in this page-ripping tale from 15th-century Venice. Read full book review >
Cover art for UNDER THE MESQUITE
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 1, 2011

"A promising, deeply felt debut. (Spanish glossary) (Verse fiction. 12 & up)"
A resilient Mexican-American girl copes with familial obligation and loss in this free-verse novel. Read full book review >
Cover art for ORCHARDS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Feb. 22, 2011
by Holly Thompson, illustrated by Grady McFerrin

"Nevertheless, this first young adult outing is a fast-paced page-turner that explores the rippling effects of suicide. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
After a friend hangs herself, biracial 14-year-old Kana Golberg is shipped out to her family in Japan to work in the sweltering heat tending to their mikan orange groves. Read full book review >
Cover art for A GIRL NAMED MISTER
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010

"While this can be categorized as Christian fiction, it is much more textured than novels commonly labeled as such. (Fiction/poetry. 12 & up)"
Mary Rudine, known to everyone as Mister, is a typical high-school student, engaged in studies, sports and church. Read full book review >
Cover art for GLIMPSE
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 22, 2010

"A page-turner for Ellen Hopkins fans. (Fiction. YA)"
From the middle of page one, when Hope walks in on her sister holding a shotgun and "thinking about // leaving" (killing herself), emotional velocity never slows. Read full book review >
Cover art for THREE RIVERS RISING
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 13, 2010

"With an atmosphere like that of Jennifer Donnelly's A Northern Light (2003) and skilled wordsmithing akin to Jen Bryant's, the staccato pulsing of this love story builds the tension and puts human faces on a devastating disaster. (author's note, timeline, further reading) (Historical fiction. YA)"
Told in free verse with multiple voices, this novel dramatically recreates the impact of the historic tragedy of the Johnstown, Pa., flood on the lives of six people from 1888 to 1889. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE FIREFLY LETTERS
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2010

"Another fine volume by a master of the novel in verse. (historical note, author's note) (Historical fiction. 10 & up)"
Three women, their lives circumscribed by their societies' expectations, come together in Cuba in 1851. Read full book review >
Cover art for TRICKS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 25, 2009

"Graphic sex, rape, drugs, bitter loneliness, despair—and eventually, blessedly, glimmers of hope. (Fiction. YA)"
Hopkins sharply portrays extreme adolescent turbulence with her biggest cast yet, as five disparate, desperate teens are sucked into the Las Vegas world of selling sex. Read full book review >
Cover art for WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESN’T KNOW
CHILDREN'S
Released: June 5, 2007

"If this offering lacks some of the intensity of its predecessor, it nevertheless provides both an opportunity to revisit two likable characters and the advantage of a fresh viewpoint. (Fiction/poetry. YA)"
Six years after What My Mother Doesn't Know sizzled onto the scene, Sones returns to continue the story of teen sweethearts Sophie Stein and Robin Murphy. Read full book review >
Cover art for SOLD
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2006

"McCormick provides readers who live in safety and under protection of the law with a vivid window into a harsh and cruel world—one most would prefer to pretend doesn't exist. (Fiction. YA)"
In her village in Nepal, Lakshmi's life is more than difficult and requires her to endure hunger, harsh weather and poverty. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 10, 2004

"A must for YA collections used by those unafraid of poetry, strongly suggested for all others. (Fiction. YA)"
Editor and author Levithan winningly joins the ranks of talented authors exploring the novel-in-verse and kicks it up a notch. Read full book review >