April is National Poetry Month, with programming that offers readers of all ages an abundance of ways to celebrate, both online and in person. One of the most satisfying is, undoubtedly, curling up with a great novel in verse. In early 2025, we have a remarkable variety of options to choose from.
Speculative fiction in verse is relatively rare, perhaps because extensive worldbuilding is tough to accomplish in such an economical format. But acclaimed poet and translator Gloria Muñoz succeeds brilliantly in This Is the Year (Holiday House, Jan. 7), a fiction debut that blends formats, languages, and genres. Colombian American Juli Villarreal, whose Florida home has been devastated by an environmental crisis, enrolls in a mission to colonize the moon. This creative and powerful story combines prose and verse, Spanish and English, as climate-fiction themes unfold in an SF storyline.
The following works of historical fiction richly evoke the past in ways that are infused with atmosphere, while the brevity of the verse format helps avoid infodumps that turn readers off:
The outline of the Irish potato famine may be familiar to many readers, but Carnegie Medal winner Sarah Crossan makes the tragedy feel as intimately vivid as if it were happening today. In Where the Heart Should Be (Greenwillow Books, Jan. 21), she highlights social class divisions, forbidden romance, and other resonant themes: “True love wins / even in the face of death.”
One Step Forward (Versify/HarperCollins, March 4) will energize readers accustomed to dry textbooks with its descriptions of suffragists’ harrowing struggles and the impact of the 1918 influenza pandemic, both offering parallels to modern activism and social upheaval. Rich backmatter and an engaging protagonist—a fictionalized version of a real young woman—add to the appeal of Marcie Flinchum Atkins’ debut.
Poetry often surpasses prose in its ability to convey deep emotions in a pithy and powerful way that speaks directly to the heart. The following works exemplify this strength:
Debut author Adina King tackles parental neglect, addiction, bullying, and more in The House No One Sees (Feiwel & Friends, March 18), a raw, surreal work that combines verse and prose, marking shifts between past and present. The story draws upon fairy-tale imagery as 16-year-old Penny, “a girl who feels / too young and too old / at the same / time,” confronts years of childhood trauma and instability.
Stonewall Award winner Dean Atta’s latest, I Can’t Even Think Straight (Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins, May 6), follows Kai Michaelides, a gay London boy of Jamaican and Greek Cypriot descent, as he navigates cultural differences, friendship with a peer who must remain closeted for his own safety, and other life complications. This heartfelt tale moves quickly: Kai’s first-person narration and the abundant, natural-sounding dialogue invite readers in.
The Irish import Solo (Little Island, May 27) by Gráinne O’Brien is a beautifully written, deeply relatable story of finding your way back to what really matters. After Daisy’s boyfriend breaks up with her, she feels ashamed that she let herself become subsumed in their relationship, losing herself and her passion for playing the recorder—but a new friendship helps her to heal.
Laura Simeon is a young readers’ editor.
