Gabi, A Girl in Pieces–
(by Isabel Quintero)
Gabi Herandez is a teenager in her senior year of High School. Gabi goes through many of the struggles the average teenage girl goes through including: boys, weight, drama, and college applications. Additionally, Gabi had the added problems of her father’s meth addiction, her best friend’s pregnancy, and her other friend coming out to be gay. The novel is written in a diary entry format, but has many letters and poems included throughout the novel. Poetry is used throughout the novel to express Gabi’s feelings in a harsh and honest way. The poems were written by Gabi in her poetry class. Later she discovers a talent for writing poetry outside of class.
The poetry in this novel does not consist of the entire book but rather glimpses of poetry Gabi writes herself thought the book. I believe the poems added a higher level to the novel, showcasing that Gabi was a fluent writer who could write in many forms. Without the poems in this book it would be lacking in the realism of Gabi, she does not leave out anything in her poems.
Paper Towns–
(by John Green)
Paper Towns is another Young Adult novel with poetry included, but this time with a slight twist. The book is about two seniors in high school. Quentin is a quintessential nerd who has never broken the rules and has always had a crush on one of the most popular girls in school, Margo. Margo took Quentin on a crazy adventure one night and then the next day she was gone. She left behind some clues, the first being a poem called Song of Myself by Walt Whitman. Margo highlighted pieces of the poem that lead Quentin to be able to find her. The poem played a very important role in the novel because it was an ‘unintentional’ clue left behind by Margo. Below is a couple of stanzas from Song of Myself that was mentioned in the novel:
Song of Myself
By: Walt Whitman
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
I loafe and invite my soul,I lean and loafe at my ease observing a spear of summer grass.
My tongue, every atom of my blood, form’d from this soil,
this air,
Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and
their parents the same,
I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin,
Hoping to cease not till death.
Creeds and schools in abeyance,
Retiring back a while sufficed at what they are, but never
forgotten,
I harbor for good or bad, I permit to speak at every hazard,
Nature without check with original energy.”
Out of the Dust–
(by Karen Hesse)
Out of the Dust is a free verse novel about the hardships and poverty of a young girl growing up in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. The novel is written entirely in free verse style. Billie Jo is the main character in the novel who has to grow up faster than most young adults do. She goes through the loss of her mother and her baby brother. Rather than accepting the loss, she blames herself and her father for their deaths. Billie Jo also lost the ability to enjoy her piano playing due to severe burns she encountered on her hands. In the end, she tried to escape the Dust Bowl but realized it was apart of her and that she couldn’t leave. She also found it in herself to be able to forgive her father.
One of my favorite quotes from the novel:
The way I see it,
hard times aren’t
only about money,
or drought, or dust.
Hard times are
about losing spirit,
and hope,
and what happens
when dreams dry
up.
Hesse, Karen (2012-09-01). Out of the Dust (Kindle Locations 1498-1500). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.
Look to lesson plan tab for a lesson plan over Out of the Dust that can easily be incorporated into a 7th or 8th grade classroom.
This Youtube video is a short 2-minute clip that gives more recommendations for novels with poems. I specifically like this video because it gives a small verse of a poem from each novel it suggests.