Author
Marilyn Nelson
4 books here
Carver: A Life in Poems
Verse novel · ages 10–14 · 680L · 2002
A Newbery honor masterpiece—Nelson's verse about Carver is luminous and accessible, quietly showing how a Black scientist built a life of consequence through teaching and care; kids encounter real historical racism without trauma, and genuine intellectual courage.
Fortune's Bones: The Manumission Requiem
Verse novel · ages 10–14 · 780L · 2004
A profound, formally ambitious poem cycle that treats slavery and its aftermath with dignity and linguistic rigor — kids mature enough for it will return to it for years.
A Wreath for Emmett Till
Verse novel · ages 10–14 · 780L · 2005
Marilyn Nelson's verse transforms a brutal murder into unforgettable testimony—difficult and necessary for middle-graders old enough to grapple with Jim Crow and the cost of silence.
How I Discovered Poetry
Verse novel · ages 9–12 · 680L · 2014
A love letter to poetry disguised as memoir—Nelson's own childhood discovery becomes a child's permission to notice the world and speak it aloud.