Teeny Little Grief Machines

Like watching a movie frame by frame, we watch Lexi is come unglued in this novel in verse. She’s alienated from school and family. Her father is in the county jail. She cannot connect with her chain-smoking stepmom. Her brother, Blaine, is trapped in his own autistic world. And her infant sister’s death has sent her into a spiral of grief and rebellion. Bright, witty, and irreverent, Lexi tries to navigate the rocky transition from adolescent to young woman.

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.