One of my favorite genres of Young Adult Lit is the narrative poem novel. I don't know that this is what they're officially called, but it'll work for now. One of the best writers in this genre is Ellen Hopkins, who's written five (or so) novels of this type. I've read a couple of them now, and find them so powerful that I have to have a bit of a break before I can pick up another.
The latest Hopkins' title that I've had the courage to read is called Impulse. Impulse is the story of three teens who meet in a sort of youth home/ rehab center. Vanessa is in the home because her habit of cutting herself to escape her family life went a little too far, Conner is there because he tried and failed to commit suicide, and Tony is there to recover from a serious drug overdose.
What I loved about this book is that you get to know the characters through their distinctive personalities and experiences. This type of novel could be very confusing, due to the fact that Hopkoins switches back and forth between characters after every third poem. Somehow, though, I found myself not even needing to remind myself who was talking because I could hear their voices in my head and I felt like I knew and understood all three characters.
These Hopkins books tend to look a little daunting because they're so thick. But, don't be put off by their size. Each poem is short and there's a lot of blank space. These books can be read very quickly and believe me when I say that you will not want to put it down! I could see either boys or girls getting into this type of read. If you're not into poetry, maybe still give it a shot because it's very different from other poetry collections.
