KS3 Poetry Reading List

Another gem of a book by Matt Goodfellow. This poetry collection will convince even the most reluctant about poetry that it might just be their thing.

This collection of poems is aimed at readers 11+ and tackles every day subjects: teachers, school days and making friends. The 66 poems will make you laugh, smile, cry, feel and think… there’s a perfect poem for everyone.

A Hurricane in My Head by Matt Abbott is a powerful and accessible poetry collection that explores children’s mental health, emotions and inner voices with honesty and compassion. Written in clear, engaging language, the poems reflect the thoughts, worries, and pressures many young people experience, making the collection highly relatable for older primary and secondary pupils.

The poems are well-suited to classroom use, offering short, impactful texts that can be used for shared reading, performance, or discussion. Themes such as anxiety, self-doubt, resilience, friendship and finding your voice are handled sensitively, creating a safe space for pupils to explore emotions and reflect on their own experiences.

This poetry collection is a valuable classroom resource: thoughtful, relatable, and empowering. It would support both literacy development and pupils’ emotional well-being.

Once I had started this book, there was no stopping; I was completely swept up by its emotional force.

There’s no stopping Amber either, once she sets herself on the path of rebellion against her father and her community. To the outside world, she is a pretty normal teenager. At home, she wrestles with a toxic mixture of poverty, alcoholism, domestic violence and the expectation that, as a girl, she must obediently prove she is not a burden. The only outlet for her emotions is running, which turns down the rage and provides respite from the familiar urge to escape. When her father’s rules threaten to destroy an amazing chance for her to run competitively, Amber musters the courage to rebel. The price of freedom will be high, but she is determined not to cave in like her sister and mother.

Written in verse, economical language strikes to the heart of complex issues and conflicting emotions. Through the poetry of Amber’s internal narrative, we get to know a character who inspires our sympathy and empathy. She resents her father’s control, but she also loves him. She is frustrated by her mother’s compliance, but she also worries for her. She longs to share her secret but also wants to protect it. The closer she comes to total rebellion, the more desperately Amber hopes she won’t have to go through with it. This compelling and moving story gives a voice to those marginalised by poverty, fear and demanding social expectations. It would be great for provoking discussions about cultural norms, individuality and ambition.

The First Year by Matt Goodfellow is the highly anticipated sequel to the emotionally powerful The Final Year. The previous book has made a profound impact on readers and significantly boosted the popularity of verse novels for Key Stage 2. The First Year follows into KS3, on as Nate navigates the ups and downs of his first year of secondary.

Matt Goodfellow explores the themes of family bonds, resilience, finding one’s voice, the power of language and the influence of supportive (and unsupportive) adults in school. This sequel is just as emotive – perhaps even more – as Nate is torn away from the familiar comfort and safety of primary school and finds himself thrown into the stark environment of secondary. The story also celebrates the joy of new friendships and the strong sense of belonging Nate shares with his brothers and friends.

This is a verse novel where the story unfolds through poetry. Some of the shortest and most sparse poems are the ones that evoke the greatest depth of emotion, with the white space on the page providing the reader with a moment to reflect and process – but only a moment, as this is really a page-turner that makes you greedy to read on.

‘It’s the hope that’ll kill you.’This haunting story of hope and heartbreak wrenches the emotions as it explores the meaning of life and death, love and forgiveness.

For Joe, his brother Ed is the person who attended his parents’ evenings, who saved up money so he could have proper Christmas presents, and who protected him from the disorder of a life of poverty with an alcoholic mother. But when Joe was seven, his brother – himself damaged by the disorder – left home. Then Ed is wrongly accused and found guilty of the murder of a cop in Texas, where the penalty for the crime is death. Years of appeals have failed, and now there’s a date for his execution. Joe, still only a teenager, travels alone from New York to Texas to visit his brother. There’s one final hope for reprieve.

Flashbacks fill in the details of the brothers’ relationship and show the poignant contrast between public perceptions and private memories of a convicted murderer on Death Row. Written in verse, the language is spare and simple and cuts directly to the emotional centre of Joe’s young life. I liked the way it is carefully nuanced. There is empathy rather than judgment for all the characters – even the warden responsible for the Death Row prisoners and Aunt Karen, who assumes that Ed is guilty and does her best to keep Joe from his wicked older brother. This beautiful book made me think, and cry – and I’m still worrying about Joe.

Kwame Alexander’s Booked is a sports-themed verse novel for readers aged 12 and above, all about growing up.

Told through verse, the story follows Nick as he learns to navigate bullies, family changes and first crushes with the same energy he brings to the football pitch. The dynamic style of the poetry makes Nick’s real-world challenges relatable and engaging for young teens.

The novel’s undaunting verse format and fast pace ensure accessibility, even for reluctant readers. Nick’s journey, guided by a librarian, spotlights the power of stories to navigate tough times. Booked tackles themes of family, friendship, resilience and the challenges of growing up, making it a relevant and appealing read for this age group.

This verse novel is an incredible read and sang to me the way the tree sang to Kai, the main character, in the story.

Written in verse, this style of writing is accessible to reluctant and struggling readers, enabling them to feel all the emotions of a wonderful story normally found in longer, chapter book form. It tells the story of a boy, growing up without privilege, where family and friendships are the most important thing in his life. The subtle plot is revealed gradually as the story develops, jumping forwards and backwards in time in an effective way. The vocabulary has been carefully chosen to be powerful and moving, whilst retaining simplicity. The layout of the text and words draws the eyes to the page and the stunning illustrations, also simple but beautiful, make this book a feast for the eyes.

Considering opposing themes of friendship and bullying, and family struggles and love, this book ultimately conveys the importance of acceptance, empathy and kindness. Suitable for reader aged 10-13, with a wide range of reading abilities, this book is a ‘must’ for pre-teen libraries and book corners.

Set in the USA, Emmy and her family have just relocated to California from Wisconsin. In a leap of faith, to promote her father’s career as a pianist, Emmy’s family have left behind everything they know and love. Including her Mom’s career in opera.

It is clear from the outset that Emmy is going to struggle to fit into her new school (culturally, a world away from her old one), so she decides to keep her head down and concentrate on her classwork. One of the electives that she has chosen is Computer Science. It is in this class that she meets a new friend: a girl who loves coding, yet hides her talents because it is not in keeping with her choir-girl image. Conscious that if her friends find out about her secret passion, she could be ostracised from the friendship group, Abigail’s internal struggles are real.

As the school term moves on, Emmy’s two worlds of coding and music begin to interweave making this ‘novel in verse’ a masterpiece, showing how notes and beats and rhythms overlap with code and language and algorithms. Among this runs a rich storyline of friendship. Can Emmy’s new friend accept her outside of the classroom? Will they be able to break through the prejudice of being girls who enjoy coding? And will they be able to support their teacher as she faces her health problems?

This is a joyous and accomplished piece of writing. The use of verse in the novel is powerful and captures the emotions exquisitely. A perfect book for children (and adults) who enjoy coding and/or music.