If You Like
Fiction Books in
Poetry/Letter/Journal Form,
Try These!
 Love that Dog Sharon Creech
A young student, who comes to love poetry through a personal understanding of what different
famous poems mean to him, surprises himself by writing his own inspired poem.
 Out of the Dust Karen Hesse
In a series of poems, fifteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's
wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression.
 Shakespeare Bats Cleanup Ronald Koertge
When a fourteen-year-old baseball player catches mononucleosis, he discovers that keeping a
journal and experimenting with poetry not only helps fill the time, it also helps him deal with life,
love, and loss.
 What I Believe Norma Fox Mazer
A young girl faces her problems by writing down her thoughts about the family's personal and
financial crises, including the loss of her father's job and the selling of their home.
 For Your Eyes Only! Joanne Rocklin
The entries in the journals of two sixth grade students reveal much about their personal
feelings, family lives, and a growing interest in poetry sparked by their new substitute teacher.
 One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies Sonya Sones
Fifteen-year-old Ruby Milliken leaves her best friend, her boyfriend, her aunt, and her mother's
grave in Boston and reluctantly flies to Los Angeles to live with her father, a famous movie star
who divorced her mother before Ruby was born.
 What My Mother Doesn’t Know Sonya Sones
Describes the life of eighth grade Sophie and the joy and surprise of falling in love in free-verse
poems.
 P.S. Longer Letter Later Paula Danziger
Twelve-year-old best friends Elizabeth and Tara-Starr continue their friendship through letterwriting after Tara-Starr's family moves to another state.
 Snail Mail No More Paula Danziger
Now that they live in different cities, thirteen-year-old Tara and Elizabeth use email to "talk"
about everything that is occurring in their lives and to try to maintain their closeness as they face
big changes.
 Heartbeat Sharon Creech
Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes
pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes
distant.
 Letters from Rifka Karen Hesse
In letters to her cousin, a young Jewish girl chronicles her family's flight from Russia in 1919 and
her own experiences when she must be left in Belgium for a while when the others emigrate to
America.
 Dear America and My Name is America series Various authors
These series are both historical fiction journals from various time periods. Dear America books
have girl main characters and My Name is America has boy main characters.
 Dear Mr. Henshaw Beverly Cleary
In his letters to his favorite author, ten-year-old Leigh reveals his problems in coping with his
parents' divorce, being the new boy in school, and generally finding his own place in the world.
 13 Little Blue Envelopes Maureen Johnson
When seventeen-year-old Ginny receives a packet of mysterious envelopes from her favorite
aunt, she leaves New Jersey to criss-cross Europe on a sort of scavenger hunt that transforms
her life.
 The Beatrice Letters Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket, author of the series of books chronicling the lives of the Baudelaire children,
shares a file of letters written between him and his beloved Beatrice that shed light on the
mystery surrounding the unfortunate siblings.
 A Gathering of Days Joan W. Blos
The journal of a 14-year-old girl, kept the last year she lived on the family farm, records daily
events in her small New Hampshire town, her father's remarriage, and the death of her best
friend.
 Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging Louise Rennison
Presents the humorous journal of a year in the life of a fourteen-year-old British girl who tries to
reduce the size of her nose, stop her mad cat from terrorizing the neighborhood animals, and
win the love of handsome hunk Robbie.
 Millicent Min, Girl Genius Lisa Yee
In a series of journal entries, eleven-year-old child prodigy Millicent Min records her struggles to
learn to play volleyball, tutor her enemy, deal with her grandmother's departure, and make
friends over the course of a tumultuous summer.
 Witch Child Celia Rees
In 1659, fourteen-year-old Mary Newbury keeps a journal of her voyage from England to the
New World and her experiences living as a witch in a community of Puritans near Salem,
Massachusetts.
 Stowaway Karen Hesse
A fictionalized journal relates the experiences of a young stowaway from 1768 to 1771 aboard
the "Endeavor" which sailed around the world under Captain James Cook.
 The Fashion Disaster that Changed My Life Lauren Myracle
Seventh-grader Alli describes in her journal the ups and downs of being in junior high, where
she fits in, and what it means to be a real friend.
 Click Here to Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade Denise Vega
Seventh-grader Erin Swift writes about her friends and classmates in her private blog, but when
it accidentally gets posted on the school Intranet site, she learns some important lessons about
friendship.
Compiled by Ms. Bertalon
Woodmere Middle School Library