Middle Grade Monday: The Year I Stopped Drawing: an Illustrated Novel in Verse by Grant Snider

Image: Abrams

The Year I Stopped Drawing: an Illustrated Novel in Verse by Grant Snider. 312 p. Amulet Books/ Abrams, November 10, 2026. 9781419788383. Review of arc courtesy of publisher.

Adam Zane has always been known as the best artist in his class, but he's entering seventh grade and everything is about to change for him - his brother left for college and hasn't communicated with Adam, his parents are fighting, but pretending that they're not, his best friend had a growth spurt, and worst of all, a new girl is a better artist than he. He's at sea. His grades begin to suffer, he refuses to attempt to create any art. When his anger at being constantly bullied by Jason erupts, and he ends up with an in-school suspension, his counselor sets him a challenge

Trust me when I say that grade seven is cataclysmic. So much change is happening to these kids from the onset of puberty (or lack of onset) to the shifting friendships, to the increased difficulty of classes. The appeal of this illustrated novel in verse lies in its utter relatability and readability. Post-It Notes separate chapters by months of the school year and there are pencil drawings accompanying each poem. The presentation is clean and engaging. Middle school readers will find much to connect with. Touching at times, humorous at others, this book is a solid addition to any collection. I can't wait to read the finished book! Highly recommend!

Happy reading!

Waiting on Wednesday: Anger is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Image: HarperCollins

Anger is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo. 336 p. Quill Tree Books/ HarperCollins, September 15, 2026. 9780062882790.

Waiting on Wednesday features Anger is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo. I have been a fan of Ms. Acevedo since reading Poet X, which won the National Book Award, Printz Medal and Boston Globe Horn Book Award in addition to being a Kirkus Award finalist, and winning the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's Literature, the Carnegie Medal and an Odyssey Award. I've read and enjoyed With Fire on High and Clap When You Land, and am very much looking forward to reading Anger is Only a Shadow. 

Publisher synopsis: From National Book Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author and renowned poet Elizabeth Acevedo comes a white-knuckle journey to self-understanding and doing the right thing, no matter the cost.

Lil is anything but small. She’s rebellious, she's loyal; she's figuring out what kind of good person she wants to be, or if she wants to be a good person at all. But more than anything? Lil wants to be free.

When her instinct for freedom leads to another stay in D.C. juvenile detention, Lil knows she’s lucky to just be on probation. But judgment, guilt, and an ankle monitor weigh heavily on her, and she can’t shake that pinned-down feeling.

The only person who might understand is her big brother, Aldwin. Except he’s more distant now than just the hundred miles where he’s away at college. Something’s been off with him for a couple of months, but only Lil seems to realize how important it is to get to him.

As her court hearing ticks closer, a question looms over Lil as the missed phone calls and strange texts from her brother pile up: will she follow the rules until her sentencing, or put her future freedom on the line?

Teen Tuesday: The Leaving Room by Amber McBride

Image: Macmillan

The Leaving Room by Amber McBride. Unabridged downloadable audiobook, ~3 hours. Read by the author. Macmillan Audio, October, 2025. 9781250411440. Review of audiobook borrowed from public library.

Gospel is the Keeper of the Leaving Room. She guides young souls onward, but first she collects memories, for the young are reluctant to move on. She doesn't know how she knows these rules, but she does. One day, Melodee enters the Leaving Room, and it turns out that she is a Keeper as well. Two keepers? How can that be? 

I picked this up last December because I wanted to read all the NBA finalists in Literature for Young People. I read and enjoyed two of Ms. McBride's earlier novels. This was a bit hard to get into, but blossomed into a fascinating take on the afterlife.

Young adult readers who enjoy verse novels or books that explore the afterlife like Gabrielle Zevin's Elsewhere, or Jennifer Yu's Grief in the Fourth Dimension, or Gabby Noone's Layoverland will enjoy this. 

Waiting on Wednesday: When We Ride by Rex Ogle

Image: Norton

When We Ride by Rex Ogle. 334 p. Norton Young Readers, March 25, 2025. 

Waiting on Wednesday features. When We Ride by Rex Ogle. I've been a huge fan ever since I read his debut, Free Lunch. HIs latest releases on March 25. Here's the publisher synopsis:

Rex Ogle explores bonds of loyalty and friendship and how they’re tested by drugs and violence in this propulsive novel-in-verse.

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.

Award-winning memoirist and poet Rex Ogle’s searing first novel-in-verse is an unforgettable story of the power and price of loyalty.

Teen Tuesday: Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal

                                     

Image: Penguin Random House

Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal. 354 p. Rocky Pond Books/ Penguin Young Readers, October, 2024. 

Teen Tuesday features Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal. Fourteen-year-old Evie is dying, though she is unaware, as are her parents, until they are not. She finds herself admitted to an in-patient treatment facility for her eating disorder, and she wasn't able to say goodbye to her sister, her best friend, or her beloved dog. 

This searing verse novel brutally depicts the hold that anorexics have, that prevents them from seeing themselves realistically. Evie hears voices that tell her she is fat, that she is a burden to her family, that she is unworthy. In treatment, she is weighed daily and is forced to eat. She wants to crawl out of her skin. But, she is also forced to attend group therapy sessions along with one-on-one sessions with a skilled therapist. 

This is a worthy addition to any middle and high school library and stands along side John Schu's Louder Than Hunger. Both are important novels for young people. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi

Image: Penguin Random House

Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi. Unabridged e-audio, ~3 hrs. Narrated by Peter Romano. Books on Tape/ Listening Library, September, 2024. Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.

Middle Grade Monday features Kareem Between by Shifa Salvage Safadi. Kareem isn't too excited about starting seventh grade in 2016. His best friend moved away, he was cut from the football team, and his mother expects him to befriend a new Syrian boy whose family recently immigrated. Kareem was born in America, struggles to learn Arabic, loves the Chicago Bear and all things football. When the school bully, who happens to be quarterback of the football team promises Kareem a place on the team if he does a project for him, Kareem knows he shouldn't, but wants to be part of the team so badly, he does. Of course, it isn't only one assignment, but Kareem is stuck.

When his grandfather who lives in Syria falls ill, Kareem's mother travels there to arrange for her parents' transfer to the United States, but becomes stuck in Syria when then-President Trump's Muslim Ban goes into effect.

I read this one with my ears and the narrator did a good job, especially pronouncing the Arabic that is woven throughout.

This novel in verse flows lyrically, but the visual structure of the poems also convey meaning, so I reread it with my eyes. It's a short, powerful read that should resonate long after the story ends.

Kareem Between won the National Book Award/ Literature for Young People earlier this fall and appeared on several Best Books lists as well. 

Middle Grade Monday: Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla. Illustrated by Tania de Regil. 208 p. Quill Tree Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, July, 2024. 9780063268852. Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.

Happy Monday! I have a little over two weeks left of summer break, and am pet/ housesitting for my oldest son while he and his family are away. I had to board Helga with the rescue since they didn't think it would be a good idea to bring her and Boo to a strange house with two strange dogs, one of whom can be territorial. Turns out, Helga will probably get adopted today. She had a successful meet and greet with the adopter and two of her dogs yesterday. Today, she will go to the country to meet the other two dogs and, if all goes well, will stay. I'm happy for her, but sad too. She's a smart, sweet dog who has come a long way. I'm happy to be part of her recovery, but she will be happier in the country with her new dog-trainer mom. Here's one of my last pix of her with Boo before the rescue came to pick her up.

Middle Grade Monday features Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla. Anxious Isabel feels like she doesn't fit in with her large, loud family. She knows she doesn't fit in at school, where new girl, Monica seems to have alienated her 'sort of' friends against her. Not only that, but her teacher doesn't seem to like her and is constantly reminding the class about the very important state testing that they have to do well on. She describes her feelings as "worry moths" and talks about practicing smiling and being a good friend, only to be crushed to learn that she was the only girl not invited to Monica's birthday part. Her mother thinks her stomach aches are all in her head, but one day, the pain feels different. Isabel feels invisible, but also, a part of her wants to be invisible.

This gentle, illustrated verse novel is told mostly from Isabel's point of view and beautifully conveys the struggles of a tween struggling with anxiety. Isabel is instantly relatable. Readers will laugh at her subtle humor and root for her as she finds her voice. Some poems reflect Monica's point-of-view, where readers learn a bit of her backstory. The illustrations add to the story. 

Once again, Sally J. Pla delivers an insightful glimpse into the inner life of a neurodivergent child. Invisible Isabel is a welcome addition to any library.

Middle Grade Monday: Odder by Katherine Applegate

Image: Macmillan

Odder by Katherine Applegate. Illustrated by Charles Santoso. 288 p. Feiwel & Friends/ Macmillan, September, 2022. 9781250147431. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Monday! My weekend was a bit of a mixed bag. Saturday was very productive and active and HOT! The temperature rose to 81 degrees! I spent about 7 hours dealing with my leaves. The leaves drifted down continuously and I couldn't tell I even raked at the end. I still prefer to deal with them each weekend instead of waiting for them to finish falling. Sunday was a washout. Cold and rainy all day. Boo and I were very lazy. 

Middle Grade Monday features Odder by Katherine Applegate.
Ms. Applegate sure seems to have a gift for conveying the inner thoughts of animals without overly anthropomorphizing them. Odder is a young sea otter named Odder due to her penchant for exploring her sea habitat and venturing places her otter mother warned her against. She and her fearful friend, Kairi venture too far and are menaced by an adolescent shark intent on having Kairi for lunch. Odder saves her, but is seriously injured and washes up on the shore of Monterey Bay, where she is rescued by the Monterey Bay Aquarium staff. Readers get to know Odder as she recovers through flowing image-rich blank verse and some lovely illustrations by Charles Santoso. Readers will fall in love with this irrepressible otter as she reflects on life, especially as she comes to realize that she might not return to the wild.

Fans of the author and fans of animal stories will adore Odder. Look at that cover! Who can resist? Highly recommended!

Middle Grade Monday: A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner

Image: Simon & Schuster

A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner. 368 p. Aladdin/ Simon & Schuster, May, 2023. 9781665905152. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Sorry for this late posting! Middle Grade Monday features A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner. This heartbreaking first-person narrative is difficult to classify. It's notebook design implies a journal, but it's filled with disjointed free verse and sketches depicting Will's fragile mental health since fourth grade, when a cruel classmate fat-shamed him. He withdraws, and tries to make himself invisible by dressing in the baggiest of clothing and, eventually suffers from disordered eating. This honest, unflinching portrayal of what it's like to live as a fat kid in a world that values thinness will make readers reflect on how they might treat others. It's a powerful gut-punch. Highly recommended.

Middle Grade Monday: The Order of Things by Kaija Langley

Image: Penguin Random House

The Order of Things by Kaija Langley. 278 p. Nancy Paulsen Books/ Penguin Random House, June, 2023. 9780593530900. (Review of finished hard cover courtesy of publisher.)

Happy Monday! What a mixed bag of weather we are having! The air quality hasn't been the greatest lately. Between that and the heat, I've noticed that Boo isn't his usual bounding self on our walks, so I've modified them to frequent and less lengthy. It's so humid and damp and I'm being plagued by those little gnats or whatever. Ugh! 

Middle Grade Monday features The Order of Things by Kaija Langley. Eleven-year-old April lives in an apartment in Boston with her single-by-choice Mom. They live right across the hall from Zee and Papa Zee. April and Zee were born within months of each other and are more than best friends. The four of them have formed a family. Things are changing for sixth grade for April though, because Zee, who is a violin prodigy, was accepted into a prestigious STEAM charter school. Not only does she not have her best friend in class, but her teacher has assigned seating and she's stuck next to Asa, who is socially awkward, a bit unkempt and shunned by the only two white girls in April's class.

April and Zee try to maintain life as they knew it, but Zee is driven to be the best and this requires a lot of after school practice and lessons, so April decides to pursue drumming and Papa Zee agrees to teach her. Then, her mom brings Robin to their sacred family dinner and April takes an instant dislike to her.

When Zee has a fainting episode at school, Papa Zee wants him to slow down, but Zee sneaks away to practice in the building's laundry room. April finds him when she goes to do the family laundry and he swears her to secrecy. He also swears her to secrecy when he suffers another cardiac episode and reassures her that it is nothing.

It's not nothing though, and just before Christmas, the unthinkable happens. The family receives support from their community, but April does not know how she will cope without Zee. "I'm dreaming solo from now on." She feels guilt in addition to her grief for keeping Zee's secret. Soon, she's keeping Papa Zee's secret. Then, she discovers Asa's secret and it may be just too much for April to handle.

This novel in verse is told from April's point-of-view. It's well-crafted and immediately engaging, featuring fully formed characters and an authentic sense of community. April thrives in her found family. She's a realistic mix of thoughtful and thoughtless, and confident and uncertain. Readers who love sad books will root for April as she tries to find her footing. I read this in one sitting and just love it. I can't wait for my students to meet April. 

Middle Grade Monday: Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Happy Monday TMS Readers and welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful spring break. Middle Grade Monday features Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga. Jude lives in a seaside town in Syria with her parents, beloved grandmother and older brother, Issa. She dreams of becoming a movie star, but the war is coming close and Issa longs to join the resistance in Aleppo. Jude's pregnant mother wishes to flee Syria, but her father refuses to leave.

This emotionally resonant story is told in first-person blank verse in five parts. Readers follow Jude's journey from Syria to Cincinnati, where she and her mother go to live with her uncle, who is a medical doctor and his family. His daughter, Sarah is not at all pleased and Jude wonders how she will ever fit in.

Other Words for Home was named a Newbery Honor, an SLJ Best Book and an ALA Notable Book. It belongs in every school, public, and classroom library. Highly recommended. 

Middle Grade Monday and Audiobook Review: The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

Image: Hachette/ Little, Brown

The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~4 hours. Read by Kobna Holbrook-Smith. Hachette Audio/ Hachette, September, 2022. 978

Happy Monday. I hope you had a terrific weekend. Mine was again not as productive as I would've hoped. Middle Grade Monday features The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander. Eleven-year-old Kofi Offin has a pretty good life in Upper Kwanta. He is anticipating his manhood ceremony, is gently teased by his older brother, doted on by his mother and loves his grandfather's stories. He is a strong swimmer, loves nothing more than swimming in the river near his home and is determined to beat his overbearing, bullying cousin in a race. At school, he's learning the Queen's English and is punished when his school master overhears him speaking his tribal language. He also has a best mate and a crush on Ama. His idyllic life is turned upside down when his brother inadvertently kills an opponent from Lower Kwanta in an annual wrestling match. The victim was the king's nephew, and he demands retribution. When the courts decide that it was an accident, the king threatens revenge.

Revenge comes when Kofi and his brother are kidnapped and brought to the coast of western Africa. Mr. Alexander's historical verse novel, the first of a planned trilogy is utterly riveting from page one. The rich language evokes a myriad of emotion from warmth to humor to terror to despair as Kofi faces the door of no return. This important novel about the Middle Passage belongs in every school, public and classroom library. It is outstanding and I cannot wait for the next installment. I loved reading this one with my ears because the narrator was outstanding.

Middle Grade Monday: Booked by Kwame Alexander

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Happy Monday! Middle Grade Monday features Booked by Kwame Alexander. Eighth grader Nick is soccer obsessed. Books, reading and school? Not so much. His linguistics professor dad expects him to read the dictionary each day to improve his vocabulary. Nick wants his dad to improve his own marital relationship. His mom is considering moving out. At school, he's menaced by twin bullies and the only bright spots are getting to see his crush, April and Mr. Mac., the school librarian, who raps and is determined to get Nick to like reading by slipping him books he can relate to.

This 2016 publication followed The Crossover and is equally engaging with vivid soccer scenes, popping rhymes and plenty of humor. A graphic novel adaptation was released last August. 

Middle Grade Monday: The Hope of Elephants by Amanda Rawson Hill

Image: Charlesbridge

The Hope of Elephants by Amanda Rawson Hill. 476 p. Charlesbridge, September 6. 2022. 9781623342597. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

It's the penultimate Monday of my students' summer break! I'm back with my colleagues for two days of PD on Thursday. Tick tock, tick tock. Counting down to the end of summer. 

Middle Grade Monday features The Hope of Elephants by Amanda Rawson Hill. This first-person verse novel is narrated by Cass, whose father has been battling cancer all of her life. She was only one when he received his first cancer diagnosis. Then, each odd year of her life, he was diagnosed with a different kind of cancer and now, on the last day of her eleventh year, she finds out the cancer is back. But, Cass senses that her parents, who have been very open with her, are now keeping something from her.

They are. The reason why her dad has such bad luck with cancer is that he has a genetic mutation, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, where half the sufferers develop cancer before the age of forty. Cass has a 50/ 50 chance of having the mutation and of developing breast cancer before she's thirty. Now, not only is she dealing with her dad's recurrence, she has to decide whether to have her blood tested for the mutation. Does she want to know? What is the value in knowing? So she makes lists of pros and cons. While she deals with this, she's also dealing with wanting to continue playing baseball (doing so puts her dad at risk for infection), trying to find comfort in her faith, and her homeschooling assignments, which involves visiting an elephant at a nearby zoo, with whom Cass bonds.

My how I loved this book! Not only is the cover absolutely perfect and perfectly gorgeous, but I found the voice immediately compelling. Readers will get to know Cass through powerful free-verse poems that feature strong emotions and intense imagery. Don't miss reading the informative Author Note at the end. 

Tell your readers who love verse novels and sad novels to make sure to add The Hope of Elephants to their tbr (to be read) list. The book releases on September 6. Happy book birthday! Happy reading!

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~4 hours, 20 minutes. Read by Juliette Goglia. Versify/ HarperCollins Publishers, March, 2022. 9780358669258. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from the public library.)

Teen Tuesday features The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson. The year is 1932 in this historical verse novel. Eighteen-year-old Hilde has just aged out of the orphanage she has lived in since her mother died. She's now trudging the streets of Berlin in search of a job with few prospects. After living rough and sleeping in parks, Hilde stumbles upon the Café Lila, a cabaret where gay and lesbian patrons safely gather and find community. Hilde catches the eye of Rosa, one of the café's waitresses and singers, who makes Hilde feel welcomed. She pitches in to help since they are short staffed and, has a job by the end of the evening, but not a place to stay, until Rosa invites her to stay in the apartment she shares with her aunt.

Friendship and, ultimately, romance bloom, but there are dark times on the horizon in Germany. Hitler is rising to power and unleashing raging anti-semitism and homophobia. Readers of this spare, evocative verse novel become fully immersed in 1932 Berlin and its thriving lgbtq community while knowing the devastation that is looming. Back matter includes an author's note and resources for further reading.

The narrator's performance was well-paced and German words and phrases seemingly fluent. Ms. Wilson's debut, White Rose, is a stunning work of historical fiction that was extensively researched. The same can be said for her sophomore novel. Mature teen fans of White Rose will be spellbound by The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin.

Middle Grade Monday and Arc Review: Wave by Diana Farid. Illustrated by Kris Goto

Image: Cameron Kids

Wave by Diana Farid. Illustrated by Kris Goto. 315 p. Cameron Kids/ Abrams Books, March 29, 2022. 9781951836580. (Review of arc courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)

Happy Monday! I hope you enjoyed the weekend and got outside as much as possible. Spring has sprung! The trees are budding and sleepy perennials are pushing their way up. Last week, my daffodils grew four inches overnight! I started my yard clean-up while waiting for son #1 to arrive with his wife and daughter. It was such a pleasure to visit with them, a nice distraction from anticipating Tuesday, which will be the first wedding anniversary I will "celebrate" alone. Grief sure does come in waves.

Middle Grade Monday features Wave by Diana Farid. It is 1987 in Southern California. The only plans Ava, a thirteen-year-old Persian-American has for the summer between eighth grade and high school are surfing, surfing and more surfing with her bestie, Phoenix. Her single-mother, who is a physician has signed Ava up as a volunteer in her hospital in the hopes that Ava will want to study medicine. Ava has no desire to work in health care and, it turns out, faints at the sight of blood. Still, dutiful daughter that she is, she goes and connects with a patient who asks her to read the Persian poet, Rumi to him.

Meanwhile, Phoenix's lymphoma has returned adding more turmoil to the anxiety roiling in Ava, who is also coping with OCD as well as missing the father she never really new and balancing two cultures, never truly fitting in either one.

This accessible verse novel is written in both blank and concrete poetry. Lovely black and white spot illustrations add to the mood. The verse rises and falls rhythmically, like waves as Ava's story unfolds. Persian words are woven into the poems with explanation and one even describes the labor of love that was creating a mix-tape, something contemporary teens in this age of streaming music and Spotify playlists may have trouble picturing.

The poems roll in like waves, some large, some small, some gently, some forceful enough to make the reader gasp. Wave is a quick, intense read that satisfies. If you love verse novels, surfing, or sad stories, Wave is the book for you. It releases on March 29 and would be an awesome addition to any library serving tweens and teens. 

Teen Tuesday: Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds

Image: Simon & Schuster

Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds. Illustrated by Jason Griffin. 384p. Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/ Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster, January, 2022. 9781534439467. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

Happy Tuesday! Teen Tuesday features Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Jason Griffin. Mr. Reynolds is a fearless writer and poet, never afraid to get to the difficult spaces to speak truth. This hefty, visually stunning new work contains about ten sentences and over 300 pages of art inspired by those words that center around breathe. A young boy is quarantining with his family in an apartment where his mom has the news on 24/7 and it seems it's all bad news, especially for Black people. His little brother is glued to his video game and his father struggled to breathe in a bedroom.

Mr. Reynolds' text is typed on strips of paper, which are "taped" onto Moleskine notebook pages that are filled with Mr. Griffin's mixed media art. Both the art and the poetry are profound, not to be rushed through and something to revisit again and again.

Middle Grade Monday: The Lost Language by Claudia Mills

Image: Holiday House

The Lost Language by Claudia Mills. 304 p. Margaret Ferguson Books/ Holiday House, October, 2021. 9780823450381. (Review of finished copy courtesy of author.)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are psyched for this short week running up to the holiday break. Middle Grade Monday features The Lost Language by Claudia Mills. This novel in verse is narrated by Betsy, a sixth grader, who is very good at "being second." She's an only child, who strives to please her strong-willed, critical, over-achieving mother. Her mother is a professor who studies lost languages. She's also BFFs with Lizard, who calls the shots in their friendship and calls Betsy "Bumble," a name Betsy's mother detests. Betsy's mother is constantly suggesting that she branch out and try new things. Read: make new friends. She feels caught between two strong wills.

When Lizard proposes that the two rescue a lost language by learning it and teaching it to their classmates, Betsy agrees, hoping that her mother will be impressed. The club bombs, but Betsy does connect with several classmates and does "branch out" by auditioning for the school play, much to Lizard's chagrin.

Friendships wax and wane throughout age groups (including adulthood), but friendship loss seems most intense during middle school. This is why books about friends and friendship are in high demand at my library. This story is just lovely, mining all the angst and uncertainty, but also unique in that readers will feel sympathy for both the dumped and the dumper. Young readers will grow to understand that both people and friendships can be fragile and flawed. The poems are spare and evocative. Both Betsy and Lizard are relatable, complex and interesting characters.

Readers who crave and love friendship books, will love The Lost Language.

Teen Tuesday a Day Late: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. 384 p. Quill Tree Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, March, 2018.

Happy Tuesday (on a Wednesday)! I posted this to my school's platform yesterday, but forgot the blog. Teen Tuesday features The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Ms. Acevedo was teaching eighth grade language arts in Maryland and was trying to get her students to love reading. The school was almost 80% Latinx and 20% black, but she was the first Latinx teacher of a core subject. She asked her students why they didn't like to read and was told it was because there were no black and brown characters in the books they were given. She wrote The Poet X for her students.

It is the first-person story of Xiomara Batista, a sophomore at a Harlem High School. She's angry and pours her anger into her poetry journal. She's angry about the double-standard that is applied to her and her twin brother. He gets freedom, but her mother has her practically on lockdown, sure that X is going to get into trouble. She's large and curvy and she's angry about the unwanted comments thrown at her about her body.

This coming-of-age story is intense and beautifully written in verse. Ms. Acevedo's YA debut was published in 2018 and made quite a splash! It won the National Book Award, the Printz Award and the Pura Belpré Award. The audiobook, which was performed by the author, won an Odyssey Award and is well worth a listen.

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo

Image: Penguin Random House

 Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo. Unabridged audiobook, ~191 minutes. Read by the author. Listening Library/ Make Me a World/ Random House Children's Books, March, 2021. 9780593343708. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features another verse novel about the Muslim immigrant experience. In Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo, fourteen-year-old Nima despairs of ever fitting in and grieves for a father she never knew. Her father died in a car accident back in Sudan (presumably, it is never named) before she was born. Her mother and her best friend, both pregnant, immigrated to the U.S., where Nima and Haitham were born. They live in the same apartment building and Haitham is like a brother to Nima. He does his best to protect her from bullies, but she's constantly picked on for her religion, her skin color, and her poverty. Nima wishes her mother had stayed in Sudan and named her Yasmeen. She's convinced her life would've been different.

In fact, she believes that she glimpses Yasmeen from time to time and this is where the novel veers into magical realism. After a series of crises, Nima gets to travel the road not taken.

This was an immersive read. I'm glad I read with my ears. First, I adore listening poets read their own work. Secondly, as mentioned in Monday's post, I love hearing the foreign language words and names pronounced correctly. 

Home is Not a Country should appeal to teens who enjoy verse novels, stories of the immigrant experience and stories about finding one's place/ belonging.