Five Verse Novels for National Poetry Month

Happy National Poetry Month! Check out these five recommended novels-in-verse to read in April:

*A novel-in-verse / verse novel is a hybrid literary format that tells a full-length narrative story through poetry rather than traditional prose paragraphs. 

• I Can't Even Think Straight by Dean Atta: Kai wants to come out but stays closeted, while Matt, his best school friend who’s also queer, is afraid of repercussions from his parents, while nonbinary Vass feels Matt’s a negative influence, in a novel about identity told in verse.
• Sunrise Nights by Jeff Zentner: When aspiring photographer Jude and former dancer Florence, who has a degenerative eye disease, meet at their sleepaway camp’s closing celebration, called Sunrise Night, they decide to take a chance with one rule—they can’t contact each other after the sun has risen.
• The Leaving Room by Amber McBride: Gospel is the Keeper of the Leaving Room - a place all young people must phase through when they die. The young are never ready to leave; they need a moment to remember and a Keeper to help their wispy souls along. When a random door opens and a Keeper named Melodee arrives, their souls become entangled. Gospel's seriousness melts and Melodee’s fear of connection fades, but still - are Keepers allowed to fall in love? Now they must find a way out of the Leaving Room and be unafraid of their love.
• The Story of my Anger by Jasminne Méndez: Yulieta Lopez, a Dominican Texas teen tired of racism and censorship, starts a guerrilla theatre club with her friends as she finds her voice and the courage to stand up for what she believes in.

• When We Ride by Rex Ogle: Diego Benevides works hard. His single mother encourages him to stay focused on school, on getting into college, on getting out of their crumbling neighborhood. That’s why she gave him her car. Diego’s best friend, Lawson, needs a ride -- because Lawson is dealing. As long as Diego’s not carrying, not selling, it’s cool. It’s just weed. But when Lawson starts carrying powder and pills and worse, their friendship is tested and their lives are threatened. As the lines between dealer and driver blur, everything Diego has worked for is jeopardized, and he faces a deadly reckoning with the choices he and his best friend have made.

  Want more recommendations? 

• Beautiful YA Novels in Verse for National Poetry Month 2026
• April is National Poetry Month: YA Recommendations