Young adult fiction has taken off in recent years with the wild success of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer and other authors. Novels focus on fantasy, science fiction, vampires, suspense, and other categories, but there are emerging innovations beginning in this genre.
Free verse novel-length fiction has been around for many years beginning with the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer, but it has found a new home in young adult fiction. These new novels tackle deeper emotions and adult-like situations from dealing with the loss of a family member to the tumult brought about by WWII and the Holocaust.
The Geography of Girlhood by Kristen Smith for grades 9 and up examines adolescence from a female heroine's perspective. Penny was abandoned at a young age by her mother, which she must deal with alongside the fleeting nature of friendships and the superficial actions of teens.
Meanwhile, Rubber Houses by Ellen Yeomans for grades 6 and up tackles the devastation a brother can feel when his brother passes away from cancer. Verse, in this case, is used to capture the deep sense of loss felt by the protagonist.
The Braid by Helen Frost for grades 8 and up examines the hardships and loneliness two teenage sisters feel when one remains behind in Scotland while the rest of her family emigrates to Nova Scotia. The verse used in this novel stirs up the emotions related to teen pregnancy, death, and other issues.
T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte for grades 6 through 9 delves into the harsh realities of Nazi policies, particularly the orders that all mentally-ill and disabled persons be euthanized. The protagonist is a 13-year-old deaf girl who barely escapes her fate at the hands of the Gestapo and the Action T4 program.
Poetry or verse can evoke emotion in just a few short lines, and these young adult novels use this technique to evoke strong reactions in young readers in a short period of time. However, these novels also break ground in the genre and offer readers a chance to delve deeper into the words, images, and verse chosen by the authors.
For more info: Check out Library Thing's list of novels in verse.
Comments
T4 is a good one. Just finished it the other day. The others sound worth checking out. Thanks!
I really loved The Braid. I thought Frost did an excellent job.
I've just started reading more YA books and I am even catching up on some that I missed out in my youth!
Let Slip the Dogs of Love. google it. you won't regret it. check out the promo video on YouTube.
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