A Heart Like Ringo Starr

Her family runs Stevens Brothers Funeral Home. Which is ironic, since Faith Hope Stevens is not long for this world. Unless someone dies. Unless there is a match. Staying alive will mean a heart transplant. Faith copes with wit and nerve. She’s also a little pissed off. She will never grow old. She will never have a boyfriend. Then one shocking day everything changes ...

Just like prose, a novel in verse tells a story. But verse is unique because readers access the text
through short “chapters,” or poems. The varying lengths of the chapters are ideal for a struggling
reader, giving them breaks to collect their thoughts, to imagine the characters in their mind’s eye, and to set the scene—like a frame in a movie. The structure of poetry makes the books appear less intimidating, with plenty of airy white space. Moreover, the depth and substance conveyed in verse is every bit as deep and real as in a Gravel Road prose novel.

Hard-hitting, contemporary young adult fiction is not trendy—it’s not dystopia. There are no vampires, no werewolves, no castles. It’s real life. It’s unflinching. Gravel Road highlights the talent of YA authors committed to creating realistic fiction with emotional authenticity. No topic is off-limits: suicide, homosexuality drugs, rape, gangs, bullying. Teens live with this reality each day. And they find a way to survive.