The Poet X ~ Elizabeth Acevedo

I LOVE books written in verse. I love that the stories are not just laid out for me, but something I have to discover and decode. I love reading through the lines and experiencing the art of poetry over and over again. In this verse novel, protagonist Xiomara Batista struggles to understand the religion that guides her mother’s life, and she works constantly to choke back all the words and true feelings that try to fight their way out of her. In order to please her mother, Xiomara, or X, should be attending confirmation class, studying, and praying. Instead, she wants to write poetry and unravel her feelings about God, betrayal, expectations, body image, love, and belonging. The only person who seems to truly understand and see Xiomara is a her lab partner, Aman, but a relationship with him is forbidden.

This novel reminded me so much of my last read, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, because the protagonists in both texts struggle to negotiate how cultural and familial expectations align with their true selves.  This story is beautifully empowering and a must-read for any student interested in poetry and spoken-word. Many parts of this novel are challenging to comprehend because, as is common in verse, much is left unsaid.  Spending some time breaking down a few pages of the text may make students feel more confident as they navigate the story. If you'd like to read a piece of this book aloud to get kids excited, I recommend pages 41-45.

Maturity:4/4This novel is very mature and contains swear words, sexual content, and drug and alcohol references. Though I think recommendations should be made based on an individual student basis, I generally believe this is appropriate for students 13+.

Pages: 357

Lexile: HL800L

Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!

♥ Kara & Riley