R&L Logo R&L Logo
  • GENERAL
    • Browse by Subjects
    • New Releases
    • Coming Soon
    • Chases's Calendar
  • ACADEMIC
    • Textbooks
    • Browse by Course
    • Instructor's Copies
    • Monographs & Research
    • Reference
  • PROFESSIONAL
    • Education
    • Intelligence & Security
    • Library Services
    • Business & Leadership
    • Museum Studies
    • Music
    • Pastoral Resources
    • Psychotherapy
  • FREUD SET
Cover Image
Hardback
eBook
share of facebook share on twitter
Add to GoodReads

The Verse Novel in Young Adult Literature

Brenna Friesner

Throughout history, the verse novel has persisted as a modest but noteworthy literary subgenre, from classic works like Eugene Onegin to contemporary volumes by Vikram Seth, Dorothy Porter, and Derek Walcott. In particular, the verse novel has emerged as a popular form for young adult readers, such as the Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. As this unique form continues to flourish, it merits closer examination.

In The Verse Novel in Young Adult Literature, Brenna Friesner explores both the history and current use of the verse novel in teen fiction. Examining more than 220 titles written over the last few decades, Friesner discusses the verse novel’s evolution, analyzes key works, and considers how these novels can grapple with content that distinguishes them from traditional fiction.

Though this study includes volumes written throughout history, its focus on contemporary novels further demonstrates the form’s relevance for today’s teens. By explaining its current popularity, this book acknowledges the verse novel’s potential to provide accessible, authentic stories for young adults to enjoy. The Verse Novel in Young Adult Literature will be of interest to librarians and teachers, as well as anyone wanting to learn more about this burgeoning aspect of young adult literature.
  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 234 • Trim: 5¾ x 9
978-1-4422-7244-6 • Hardback • November 2016 • $93.00 • (£72.00)
978-1-4422-7245-3 • eBook • November 2016 • $88.00 • (£68.00)
Series: Studies in Young Adult Literature
Subjects: Literary Criticism / Children's & Young Adult Literature, Literary Criticism / General, Literary Criticism / Modern / General
Brenna Friesner is children’s services librarian for the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Ohio.
A valuable tool for extending readers’ experiences, Friesner’s guide introduces a succinct, lyrical genre that employs the power of poetry…. [T]he handbook encompasses an array of choices, settings, and characters…. By citing appealing works…she provides librarians and educators with titles to awaken readers to a fictional subgenre certain to intrigue the adventuresome. A chapter on poetry in the curriculum informs teachers, librarians, and homeschooling parents of booklists augmented beyond the standard canon. Meticulously outlined and indexed, this work belongs on the professional shelves of school and public libraries and in the curriculum advisories of education courses.
— VOYA


The Verse Novel in Young Adult Literature by Brenna Friesner is a unique professional resource that both teachers and librarians will find useful for reader’s advisory. . . .The resource includes interviews with a variety of authors regarding their experiences and insights into writing a verse novel. This is a great professional resource for both librarians and teachers alike.
— American Reference Books Annual


The book will best serve as a reader's advisory tool. It offers a look into this smaller sub-form of young adult literature and gives the reader a summary of suggested reading material by an author who is passionate about the genre. As a resource for learning about the background of the genre, it offers a succinct and all-encompassing view of the form and is very readable. It would serve relatively well as an addition to a public library's reference collection....
— Reference Reviews


The Verse Novel in Young Adult Literature

Cover Image
Hardback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • Throughout history, the verse novel has persisted as a modest but noteworthy literary subgenre, from classic works like Eugene Onegin to contemporary volumes by Vikram Seth, Dorothy Porter, and Derek Walcott. In particular, the verse novel has emerged as a popular form for young adult readers, such as the Newbery Medal winner Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. As this unique form continues to flourish, it merits closer examination.

    In The Verse Novel in Young Adult Literature, Brenna Friesner explores both the history and current use of the verse novel in teen fiction. Examining more than 220 titles written over the last few decades, Friesner discusses the verse novel’s evolution, analyzes key works, and considers how these novels can grapple with content that distinguishes them from traditional fiction.

    Though this study includes volumes written throughout history, its focus on contemporary novels further demonstrates the form’s relevance for today’s teens. By explaining its current popularity, this book acknowledges the verse novel’s potential to provide accessible, authentic stories for young adults to enjoy. The Verse Novel in Young Adult Literature will be of interest to librarians and teachers, as well as anyone wanting to learn more about this burgeoning aspect of young adult literature.
Details
Details
  • Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
    Pages: 234 • Trim: 5¾ x 9
    978-1-4422-7244-6 • Hardback • November 2016 • $93.00 • (£72.00)
    978-1-4422-7245-3 • eBook • November 2016 • $88.00 • (£68.00)
    Series: Studies in Young Adult Literature
    Subjects: Literary Criticism / Children's & Young Adult Literature, Literary Criticism / General, Literary Criticism / Modern / General
Author
Author
  • Brenna Friesner is children’s services librarian for the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Ohio.
Reviews
Reviews
  • A valuable tool for extending readers’ experiences, Friesner’s guide introduces a succinct, lyrical genre that employs the power of poetry…. [T]he handbook encompasses an array of choices, settings, and characters…. By citing appealing works…she provides librarians and educators with titles to awaken readers to a fictional subgenre certain to intrigue the adventuresome. A chapter on poetry in the curriculum informs teachers, librarians, and homeschooling parents of booklists augmented beyond the standard canon. Meticulously outlined and indexed, this work belongs on the professional shelves of school and public libraries and in the curriculum advisories of education courses.
    — VOYA


    The Verse Novel in Young Adult Literature by Brenna Friesner is a unique professional resource that both teachers and librarians will find useful for reader’s advisory. . . .The resource includes interviews with a variety of authors regarding their experiences and insights into writing a verse novel. This is a great professional resource for both librarians and teachers alike.
    — American Reference Books Annual


    The book will best serve as a reader's advisory tool. It offers a look into this smaller sub-form of young adult literature and gives the reader a summary of suggested reading material by an author who is passionate about the genre. As a resource for learning about the background of the genre, it offers a succinct and all-encompassing view of the form and is very readable. It would serve relatively well as an addition to a public library's reference collection....
    — Reference Reviews


ALSO AVAILABLE

  • Cover image for the book Evil in the Christian Fantasy of C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling: From the White Witch to the Dark Mark
  • Cover image for the book Liminal Spaces in Children’s and Young Adult Literature: Stories from the In Between
  • Cover image for the book Child Activist Literature at the Turn of the 2020s: From Kids You Read About to Kids You Read
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Children's Literature, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Cancer and Young Adult Literature
  • Cover image for the book Royalty in Twenty-First Century Children’s and Young Adult Literature: Reshaping the Folktale and Disney Tradition
  • Cover image for the book Evaluating and Promoting Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults
  • Cover image for the book Multicultural and Ethnic Children’s Literature in the United States, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Aesthetic Approaches to Children's Literature: An Introduction
  • Cover image for the book Child and Youth Agency in Science Fiction: Travel, Technology, Time
  • Cover image for the book Embracing, Evaluating, and Examining African American Children's and Young Adult Literature
  • Cover image for the book John Green: Teen Whisperer
  • Cover image for the book School Gun Violence in YA Literature: Representing Environments, Motives, and Impacts
  • Cover image for the book Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows: A Children's Classic at 100
  • Cover image for the book Representing Agency in Popular Culture: Children and Youth on Page, Screen, and In Between
  • Cover image for the book Democracy in Picturebooks from Sweden and United States, 2000–2020
  • Cover image for the book J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan In and Out of Time: A Children's Classic at 100
  • Cover image for the book E. Nesbit's Psammead Trilogy: A Children's Classic at 100
  • Cover image for the book The Rhetorical Power of Children's Literature
  • Cover image for the book Posthumanist Readings in Dystopian Young Adult Fiction: Negotiating the Nature/Culture Divide
  • Cover image for the book Such a Simple Little Tale: Critical Responses to L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables
  • Cover image for the book From Mythic to Linear: Time in Children's Literature
  • Cover image for the book Using Nonfiction for Civic Engagement in Classrooms: Critical Approaches
  • Cover image for the book Four British Fantasists: Place and Culture in the Children's Fantasies of Penelope Lively, Alan Garner, Diana Wynne Jones, and Susan Cooper
  • Cover image for the book Jacqueline Woodson: 'The Real Thing'
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Children's Literature
  • Cover image for the book The Sidekick Comes of Age: How Young Adult Literature is Shifting the Sidekick Paradigm
  • Cover image for the book Multicultural Picturebooks: Art for Illuminating Our World
  • Cover image for the book Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden: A Children's Classic at 100
  • Cover image for the book L. Frank Baum's World of Oz: A Classic Series at 100
  • Cover image for the book Not Your Mother's Vampire: Vampires in Young Adult Fiction
  • Cover image for the book Indians in Victorian Children’s Narratives: Animalizing the Native, 1830-1930
  • Cover image for the book The Heart Has Its Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content, 1969-2004
  • Cover image for the book Evil in the Christian Fantasy of C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling: From the White Witch to the Dark Mark
  • Cover image for the book Liminal Spaces in Children’s and Young Adult Literature: Stories from the In Between
  • Cover image for the book Child Activist Literature at the Turn of the 2020s: From Kids You Read About to Kids You Read
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Children's Literature, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Cancer and Young Adult Literature
  • Cover image for the book Royalty in Twenty-First Century Children’s and Young Adult Literature: Reshaping the Folktale and Disney Tradition
  • Cover image for the book Evaluating and Promoting Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults
  • Cover image for the book Multicultural and Ethnic Children’s Literature in the United States, Second Edition
  • Cover image for the book Aesthetic Approaches to Children's Literature: An Introduction
  • Cover image for the book Child and Youth Agency in Science Fiction: Travel, Technology, Time
  • Cover image for the book Embracing, Evaluating, and Examining African American Children's and Young Adult Literature
  • Cover image for the book John Green: Teen Whisperer
  • Cover image for the book School Gun Violence in YA Literature: Representing Environments, Motives, and Impacts
  • Cover image for the book Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows: A Children's Classic at 100
  • Cover image for the book Representing Agency in Popular Culture: Children and Youth on Page, Screen, and In Between
  • Cover image for the book Democracy in Picturebooks from Sweden and United States, 2000–2020
  • Cover image for the book J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan In and Out of Time: A Children's Classic at 100
  • Cover image for the book E. Nesbit's Psammead Trilogy: A Children's Classic at 100
  • Cover image for the book The Rhetorical Power of Children's Literature
  • Cover image for the book Posthumanist Readings in Dystopian Young Adult Fiction: Negotiating the Nature/Culture Divide
  • Cover image for the book Such a Simple Little Tale: Critical Responses to L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables
  • Cover image for the book From Mythic to Linear: Time in Children's Literature
  • Cover image for the book Using Nonfiction for Civic Engagement in Classrooms: Critical Approaches
  • Cover image for the book Four British Fantasists: Place and Culture in the Children's Fantasies of Penelope Lively, Alan Garner, Diana Wynne Jones, and Susan Cooper
  • Cover image for the book Jacqueline Woodson: 'The Real Thing'
  • Cover image for the book Historical Dictionary of Children's Literature
  • Cover image for the book The Sidekick Comes of Age: How Young Adult Literature is Shifting the Sidekick Paradigm
  • Cover image for the book Multicultural Picturebooks: Art for Illuminating Our World
  • Cover image for the book Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden: A Children's Classic at 100
  • Cover image for the book L. Frank Baum's World of Oz: A Classic Series at 100
  • Cover image for the book Not Your Mother's Vampire: Vampires in Young Adult Fiction
  • Cover image for the book Indians in Victorian Children’s Narratives: Animalizing the Native, 1830-1930
  • Cover image for the book The Heart Has Its Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content, 1969-2004
facebook icon twitter icon instagram icon linked in icon NEWSLETTERS
ABOUT US
  • Mission Statement
  • Employment
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Statement
CONTACT
  • Company Directory
  • Publicity and Media Queries
  • Rights and Permissions
  • Textbook Resource Center
AUTHOR RESOURCES
  • Royalty Contact
  • Production Guidelines
  • Manuscript Submissions
ORDERING INFORMATION
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • National Book Network
  • Ingram Publisher Services UK
  • Special Sales
  • International Sales
  • eBook Partners
  • Digital Catalogs
IMPRINTS
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • Lexington Books
  • Hamilton Books
  • Applause Books
  • Amadeus Press
  • Backbeat Books
  • Bernan
  • Hal Leonard Books
  • Limelight Editions
  • Co-Publishing Partners
  • Globe Pequot
  • Down East Books
  • Falcon Guides
  • Gooseberry Patch
  • Lyons Press
  • Muddy Boots
  • Pineapple Press
  • TwoDot Books
  • Stackpole Books
PARTNERS
  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • Brookings Institution Press
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies
  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
  • Fortress Press
  • The Foundation for Critical Thinking
  • Lehigh University Press
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Other Partners...