By Heather Booth
How the Boogeyman Became a Poet, written by Tony Keith Jr., is a coming-of-age memoir in verse. Teen listeners seeking similar vulnerability and authenticity in poetic form will love these audiobooks.
How the Boogeyman Became a Poet. By Tony Keith Jr. Read by the author. 2024. HarperAudio Gr. 9–12.
With a pitch-perfect blend of nostalgia, intro- spection, yearning, and high-school drama, Keith’s coming-of-age memoir
in verse doesn’t need a soundscape, musical tones, or production effects. The power and genuine connec-
tion of his poet’s pacing and empathetic tones convey it all—but the story gets the full production treatment anyway. Because of the strength of the writing and narration, these judiciously deployed extras serve not as necessary scaffolding but as accents and set dressing to further elevate the text, place poems in context, and layer their meaning. Listeners follow Keith through his 1990s’ high-school years, feeling part of the scene while privy to Keith’s deeply personal feelings about his growing understanding of his sexuality, concerns about the ability to attend college despite his deep desire and hard work, and efforts to convert his inner “boogeyman” into the poet he is today. His narration is heartfelt and honest, strong yet tender, wistful but focused; all these things convey the complexity of a Black teen on the brink of adulthood seeking an artis- tic form on his path to self-actualization. A free-verse ars poetica that will resonate with young listeners and inspire reflection. —Heather Booth
Black Girl You Are Atlas.
By Renée Watson.
Read by the author. 2024.
Listening Library. Gr. 9–12.
Watson’s memoir in verse earned an Odyssey Honor this year. Like Keith does for Boogeyman, Watson narrates these autobiographical poems. Her gentle voice is encouraging, inspiring, and energizing.
The In-Between.
By Katie Van Heidrich.
Read by Angel Pean.
2023. Simon & Schuster
Audio. Gr. 4–8.
In seventh grade, while her peers are celebrating the winter holidays and her family is out of town for a funeral, Katie’s family is evicted from their apartment. In this empathetic narration, Pean reads these poems, written as if from Van Heidrich’s younger self ’s journal, with a tenor of worry and tension.
The Poet X.
By Elizabeth Acevedo.
Read by the author.
2018. Harper. Gr. 9–12.
This multi-award–winning novel is another Odyssey title. Xiomara discovers how she can use poetry to make sense of herself and the world around her as she strains to define and defend herself as a creative, powerful young woman.
Shout.
By Laurie Halse Anderson.
Read by the author.
2019. Listening Library.
Gr. 9–12.
Through powerful poems of varying length and struc- ture, Anderson (author of the modern YA classic Speak) traces the path she walked to become the author, advocate, and survivor she is.
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now . . .
By Jason Reynolds.
Read by Guy Lockard.
2024. Simon & Schuster
Audio. Gr. 9–12.
The plot moves backwards in time as Neon falls in love with Aria, the two form a relationship, and eventually contemplate sex for the very first time. Lockard’s narration is beautifully tapped into Reynolds’ writing.
He knows these characters backward and forward. It’s a touchy topic, but Lockard evokes the tenderness between the central couple, Neon’s deep love, his trepidation, his self-consciousness, and his internal depths.
This article was originally published in Booklist Reader, the magazine for library patrons, from the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book review publication, Booklist.
Every month, Booklist Reader features must-read lists, author interviews, and top reading recommendations for adults, youth, and audiobook lovers.
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