"Acevedo's poetry is skillfully and gorgeously crafted, each verse can be savored on its own, but together they create a portrait of a young poet sure to resonate with readers long after the book's end. Truly a 'lantern glowing in the dark' for aspiring poets everywhere. All YA collections will want to share and treasure this profoundly moving work." - School Library Journal (starred review) "Acevedo's poetry is skillfully and gorgeously crafted, each verse can be savored on its own, but together they create a portrait of a young poet sure to resonate with readers long after the book's end." - School Library Journal (starred review) "There is an intense emotional arc to this electrifying novel in poems showcasing the emergence of a gifted writer in fictional Xiomara, and in author Acevedo. As Xiomara faces her mother's scorn, questions her faith, and deals with complications of friendship and romance, her journey is heart-wrenching. Her triumph comes in daring and then demanding to be seen as she triumphantly asserts her voice within and beyond her family and claims her identity as a poet." - Cooperative Children's Book Center "Acevedo has crafted a living, breathing world in Xiomara, and you can tell that from the very first page.
Her unique voice, coupled with an engaging story about acceptance, rebellion, and identity in this Dominican-American teen, makes The Poet X a powerful read." - Mark Oshiro for Latinxs in Kid Lit "In her debut novel-in-verse, poet Elizabeth Acevedo.takes on the universal push-pull of parents and teens with gritty elegance. Readers will relate to X's frustration over her parents' tight reins on her activities and her longing for the mental, emotional and physical space to discover who she is in her world. The Poet X is beautiful and true--a splendid debut." - School Library Journal (starred review) "The Poet X is beautiful and true--a splendid debut." - School Library Journal (starred review) "Themes as diverse as growing up first-generation American, Latinx culture, sizeism, music, burgeoning sexuality, and the power of the written and spoken word are all explored with nuance. Poignant and real, beautiful and intense.
" - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "In nearly every poem, there is at least one universal truth about adolescence, family, gender, race, religion, or sexuality that will have readers either nodding in grateful acknowledgment or blinking away tears." - Horn Book (starred review) "The force and intensity behind her words practically pushes them off the page, resulting in a verse novel that is felt as much as it is heard. This is a book from the heart, and for the heart. I wouldn't be surprised if I put my ear to its cover and found it had a heartbeat all its own." - New York Times Book Review "The force and intensity behind her words practically pushes them off the page, resulting in a verse novel that is felt as much as it is heard. This is a book from the heart, and for the heart." - New York Times Book Review "In her debut novel-in-verse, poet Elizabeth Acevedo.takes on the universal push-pull of parents and teens with gritty elegance.
Readers will relate to X's frustration over her parents' tight reins on her activities and her longing for the mental, emotional and physical space to discover who she is in her world. The Poet X is beautiful and true--a splendid debut." - Shelf Awareness (starred review).