Reha is named after the stars. Her mom is named after the moon. Luminous and wise, her mom is constantly in motion until she isn’t. Red, White, and Whole is the stunningly beautiful story of a 13-year-old Indian-American juggling two worlds of school life and home life when the worst happens. Cancer threatens her mom’s life. As Reha deals with the diagnosis, she also learns more about herself. Can her weekdays as an American and her weekends as an Indian merge into a whole identity? Does she still want to become a doctor? Richly written completely in verse by Rajani LaRocca, this upper middle-grade read will tug at the heartstrings. (Quill Tree Books, $16.99) Ages 10+, Michelle Alle

A newly adopted puppy knows he’s found the right family when seven-year-old Jace gives him the perfect name: Thinker (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $15.99). He and Jace are both poets, after all, as they prove by communicating via haiku, rap, and a liberal sprinkling of free verse. From the joy of summertime bonding to the sorrow of parting during the school day, Thinker and Jace’s relationship shows that everything is better with a little bit of poetry and a friend to share it. Ehsan Abdollahi’s cut-paper collages enhance the warmth of Eloise Greenfield’s poignant verses celebrating childhood, creativity, and animal friendship. Ages 4-9. Janet Minichiello

(Almost) twelve-year-old Ellie loves her pug, her best friend Viv, swimming in the privacy of her backyard pool, and writing poetry, but what she doesn’t love is her own body. Teased mercilessly at school and home for her weight ever since she was small, Ellie has learned to live by her own self-professed Fat Girl Rules. “You need to bully yourself as much as, if not more than, everyone else bullies you” she writes in her journal. When her mother’s barbed words and dieting tips on the refrigerator finally force her to retreat into herself, Ellie’s supportive father finds help and with a therapist’s guidance she works to become a Starfish (Nancy Paulsen Books, $17.99), proudly taking up her rightful place in this world. Lisa Fipps’s debut novel-in-verse, Starfish is at times brutally honest and painful, but when Ellie stands up to her tormentors with her sharp intellect and body positive insight, she becomes a role model for all of us and a reminder to never make ourselves small for others. Ages 10-13. Heidi Ashton Yoon