Verse novels aren't especially common or popular, though a few have broken through. You may have read an Ellen Hopkins book during their burst of popularity, or may have been assigned Sharon Creech's Love That Dog in school. It's a shame that more people don't read these books as verse novels are a great way to explore a concept through a character's internal, emotional journey. Here are six verse novels for kids and teens published in the past six months.
6 new verse novels:
- Flipping Forward Twisting Backward by Alma FUllerton
- The Hope of Elephants by Amanda Ransom Hill
- Iveliz Explains it All by Andrea Arango
- Rain Rising by Courtnie Comrie
- Fly by Alison Hughes
- Ode to a Nobody by Caroline Brooks DuBois
Last year there was a tiny groundswell of interest, and this year... nothing. Had one student say to me "Why do they DO this? It doesn't even sound like poetry." I couldn't argue. Some are better than others, but for kid appeal, they are not what publishers seem to be expecting.
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