BankStreetBooks An independent journal of children’s books and reading

Young adult novel · Fiction

The Poet X

Elizabeth Acevedo

About the book

Xiomara, a teen in Harlem, finds her voice through slam poetry while navigating her strict mother and her own questions about faith.

Reading notes

A verse novel for older teens; includes street harassment, physical fights, a first romance and emerging sexuality, and conflict with a strict religious mother.

This description was drafted with AI assistance and checked by a separate AI review against catalog, publisher and award sources on 2026-11-11. It has not been reviewed by a human editor. Report an error.

Recognition

  • National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2018)
  • Michael L. Printz Award (2019)
  • Pura Belpré Author Award (2019)

Recognition is listed from the awarding bodies’ published records. How we verify awards.

Book details

Author
Elizabeth Acevedo
First published
2018
Suggested ages
Ages 14–18 (editorial estimate — children vary)
Reading mode
Confident reader
Topics
poetry, verse novel, hispanic heritage, new york city
Edition shown
ISBN 9780062662804 · HarperCollins Publishers, 2018
Catalog record
Open Library work record · edition record

Metadata verified against Open Library on 2026-11-11. Other editions and formats exist; ISBNs differ by edition.

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