The Poet X

Last updated
The Poet X
The Poet X.jpg
First edition (publ. Quill Tree Books)
Author Elizabeth Acevedo
Audio read by Elizabeth Acevedo
Genre Young adult fiction, Poetry
Set in Harlem, New York City
Publisher Quill Tree Books
Publication date
March 6, 2018
ISBN 978-0-06-266281-1

The Poet X, published March 6, 2018 by HarperTeen, is a young adult novel by Elizabeth Acevedo. Fifteen-year-old Xiomara, also known as "X" or "Xio," works through the tension and conflict in her family by writing poetry. The book, a New York Times bestseller, [1] was well received and won multiple awards at the 2019 Youth Media Awards.

Contents

Plot

Xiomara Batista is a fifteen-year-old Dominican teenager living in Harlem who loves to write poetry. Though she longs to share it with the world, her religious mother is only concerned with her being confirmed, which has been put off for three years. She feels inferior to her brother, Xavier (affectionately called Twin) as he receives much praise for his work. During the school year, she develops a love for her lab partner, Aman. However, the relationship is broken when her mother sees them kissing on a train. Eventually, her mother finds her poetry, forcing a confrontation between the two.

Reception and awards

The Poet X was well reviewed, receiving starred reviews from The Horn Book Magazine , [2] Kirkus Reviews , [1] Publishers Weekly, [3] Shelf Awareness, [4] and School Library Journal , [5] as well as positive reviews from Booklist, [6] the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, [7] and The New York Times . [8]

The audiobook received a starred review from Booklist. [9] It was the fourth most ordered book at the New York Public Library in 2018. [10]

In 2018, Kirkus Reviews named The Poet X one of the best young adult books of the year. [1]

Awards for The Poet X
YearAwardResultRef.
2018 National Book Award for Young People's Literature Winner [11] [1]
New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Book of the Year for Young AdultWinner [12]
Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature Finalist [1]
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction & PoetryWinner [13]
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult LiteratureWinner [14]
Goodreads Choice Award for PoetryNominee [15]
2019 American Library Association's Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Top Ten [16]
American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten [17]
American Library Association's Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Top Ten [18]
Association for Library Service to Children's Notable Children's Recordings Selection [19]
Association for Library Service to Children's Notable Children's Books Selection [20]
Amelia Bloomer List Top Ten [21]
Carnegie Medal Winner [22]
Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Finalist [23]
Michael L. Printz Award Winner [24]
Odyssey Award Honor Book [24]
Pura Belpré Award Winner [24]
Walter Dean Myers Award Winner [25]
YALSA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Top Ten [26]
2020 Lincoln Award Nominee [15]
Rhode Island Teen Book AwardNominee [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. S. King</span> American writer

Amy Sarig King is an American writer of short fiction and young adult fiction. She is the recipient of the 2022 Margaret A. Edwards Award for her "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwame Alexander</span> American writer of poetry and childrens fiction (born 1968)

Kwame Alexander is an American writer of poetry and children's fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angie Thomas</span> American author (born 1988)

Angie Thomas is an American young adult author, best known for writing The Hate U Give (2017). Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was released on February 25, 2019.

Julie Berry is an American author of children's and young adults books and winner of several national book awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Acevedo</span> Dominican-American poet and author

Elizabeth Acevedo is a Dominican-American poet and author. In September 2022, the Poetry Foundation named her the year's Young People's Poet Laureate.

Bahni Turpin is an American audiobook narrator and stage and screen actor based out of Los Angeles. Her audiobook career includes some of the most popular and critically-acclaimed books in recent years, including The Help and The Hate U Give. She has won 9 Audie Awards, including Audiobook of the Year for Children of Blood and Bone; 14 Earphone Awards; and 2 Odyssey Awards. Turpin has also earned a place on AudioFile magazine's list of Golden Voice Narrators, and in 2016, she was named Audible's Narrator of the Year. In 2018, Audible inducted her into the Narrator Hall of Fame.

<i>On the Come Up</i> 2019 young adult novel by Angie Thomas

On the Come Up, published on February 5, 2019, by Balzer + Bray, is a young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It tells the story of Bri, a sixteen-year old rapper hoping to fill the shoes of her father and "make it" as an underground hip-hop legend. Overnight, Bri becomes an internet sensation after posting a rap hit which sparks controversy. As Bri defeats the odds to "make it" she battles controversy to achieve her dreams. It is set in the same universe as Thomas' first book The Hate U Give.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kekla Magoon</span> American author (born 1980)

Kekla Magoon is an American author, best known for her NAACP Image Award-nominated young adult novel The Rock and the River, How It Went Down, The Season of Styx Malone, and X. In 2021, she received the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association for her body of work. Her works also include middle grade novels, short stories, and historical, socio-political, and economy-related non-fiction.

<i>Hey, Kiddo</i> 2018 graphic memoir by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction is a graphic memoir by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, published October 9, 2018 by Graphix. The book tells the story of Krosoczka's childhood living with his grandparents while his mother lived with a substance use disorder.

<i>With the Fire on High</i> 2019 young adult novel by Elizabeth Acevedo

With the Fire on High is a young adult novel by Elizabeth Acevedo, published May 7, 2019 by Quill Tree Books.

<i>Beyond Magenta</i> 2014 book edited by American author Susan Kuklin

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out is a 2014 book written by American author Susan Kuklin. For the book, Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults, describing their sense of identity before, during, and after transitioning.

<i>Clap When You Land</i> 2020 young adult novel by Elizabeth Acevedo

Clap When You Land, written by Elizabeth Acevedo, is a young adult novel published by HarperTeen on May 5, 2020. The audiobook, produced by Harper Audio and narrated by Melania-Luisa Marte and Elizabeth Acevedo, was released on the same date.

<i>Lovely War</i> 2019 novel by Julie Berry

Lovely War is a young adult romance novel by Julie Berry, published March 5, 2019 by Viking Books for Young Readers. The book is a New York Times Bestseller and was well-received by critics.

The Belles is a dystopian young adult novel series by Dhonielle Clayton, consisting of three books: The Belles (2018), The Everlasting Rose (2019) and The Beauty Trials (2023). The first two books are Junior Library Guild selections.

<i>Ghost</i> (Reynolds novel) 2016 novel by Jason Reynolds

Ghost is a young adult novel by Jason Reynolds, published August 30, 2016 by Atheneum Books. It is the first book of Reynold's Track series, followed by Patina (2017), Sunny (2018), and Lu (2018).

The Sea of Ink and Gold trilogy is a three-part young adult fantasy novel series written by Traci Chee, published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers. The trilogy includes the following books: The Reader (2016), The Speaker (2017), The Storyteller (2018).

<i>Punching the Air</i> 2020 novel by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

Punching the Air is a young adult novel-in-verse by Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam, published September 1, 2020 by Balzer + Bray.

<i>The Sun Is Also a Star</i> (novel) 2016 young adult novel by Nicola Yoon

The Sun Is Also a Star is a young adult novel by American author Nicola Yoon, published November 1, 2016, by Delacorte Press. The book follows two characters, one of whom is about to be deported, and explores “the ways in which we are all connected and the ways in which people across all walks of life have much more in common than they think they do.”

Shaun David Hutchinson is an American author of young adult texts. His novels often "combine speculative elements with LGBT characters and themes."

Tehlor Kay Mejia is an American author.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Poet X". Kirkus Reviews. December 21, 2017. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  2. Swan, Jennifer Hubert (2018-03-20). "Review of The Poet X". The Horn Book Magazine . Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  3. Paquett, Ammi-Joan (2018-01-22). "Children's Book Review: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. HarperTeen, $17.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-06-266280-4". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  4. Coulter, Emilie. "Shelf Awareness for Readers for Tuesday, March 13, 2018". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  5. Farrell, Della (2018-03-15). "The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo | SLJ Review". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  6. Bratt, Jessica Anne (November 1, 2017). "The Poet X". Booklist. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  7. Kirkwood, Melanie (2018). "The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 71 (7): 276. doi:10.1353/bcc.2018.0148. ISSN   1558-6766.
  8. "The Poet X". IndieBound. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  9. Booth, Heather (March 1, 2019). "The Poet X". Booklist. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  10. Hu, Winnie (2019-03-02). "How the N.Y. Public Library Fills Its Shelves (and Why Some Books Don't Make the Cut)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  11. "National Book Awards: 2018 winners". National Book Foundation . Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  12. "NAIBA Book of the Year Awards". New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  13. Book, Horn. "2018 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards acceptance speeches roundup". The Horn Book. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  14. "BookPrizes by Award - 2019". Festival of Books. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  15. 1 2 "The Poet X". Goodreads. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  16. ALAM (2019-01-22). "YALSA names 2019 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". News and Press Center. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  17. NGILBERT (2019-02-19). "2019 Top Ten Best Fiction". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  18. "Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults: 2019". Booklist. March 15, 2019. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  19. "Notable Children's Recordings: 2019". Booklist. March 15, 2019. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  20. "Notable Children's Books: 2019". Booklist. March 15, 2019. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  21. "2019 Amelia Bloomer List". American Library Association. 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  22. Flood, Alison (18 June 2019). "Carnegie medal goes to first writer of colour in its 83-year history". The Guardian. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  23. "31st Annual Lammy Finalists". Lambda Literary. 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  24. 1 2 3 Morales, Macey (2019-01-28). "American Library Association announces 2019 youth media award winners". ALA News and Press Center. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  25. "The Walter Awards > Past Winners and Honorees". We Need Diverse Books. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
  26. "Top 10 Quick Picks: 2019". Booklist. March 15, 2019. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  27. "Announcing the 2019 RITBA Winner and the 2020 List! | Rhode Island Teen Book Award". Rhode Island Teen Book Award. Retrieved 2021-10-29.


Awards
Preceded by Carnegie Medal recipient
2019
Succeeded by
Lark