The Poet X By Elizabeth Acevedo (Grades 7-9)

Elizabeth Acevedo resides in Washington, DC and is a National Poetry Slam Champion. She is the Young People’s Poet Laureate and the New York Times-bestselling author of The Poet X. Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook. With Mami’s determination to force Xiomara to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. However, in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.