YA/Youth Novels In Verse
Hello Hive Mind! I had a teen ask me today for fantasy novels in verse. I could only think of realistic fiction in verse so I was stumped! Does anyone know of any, have any recommendations for Fantasy Novels in Verse? Emma Clemons, MLIS Southfield Public Library (she/her) eclemons@southfieldlibrary.org 248-796-4338
You might try going the classics route. *The Iliad, The Odyssey,* and *The Epic of Gilgamesh* have all been translated into poetic form. There's always *Beowulf*, translated by many (my personal favorite is the Seamus Heaney, although Tolkien's isn't bad either). Also, Edmund Spenser's *The Faerie Queene*. As well as *Sir Gawain and the Green Knight*. Not quite "fantasy" in the way we describe it now. But definitely still fantasy! *Toni Lea Isom (they/them/theirs)* Youth Services Librarian Assistant Adrian District Library 143 East Maumee Street Adrian MI 49221 tisom@adrian.lib.mi.us On Wed, Oct 2, 2024 at 2:34 PM Emma Clemons via Michlib-l < michlib-l@mcls.org> wrote:
Hello Hive Mind!
I had a teen ask me today for fantasy novels in verse. I could only think of realistic fiction in verse so I was stumped! Does anyone know of any, have any recommendations for Fantasy Novels in Verse?
Emma Clemons, MLIS Southfield Public Library (she/her) eclemons@southfieldlibrary.org 248-796-4338
_______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@mcls.org https://mail3.mcls.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
There aren't many! I looked it up on NoveList Plus on MEL. I use it most every day I work. (I want everyone to use it so MEL will continue providing it!) It returned 80 results with "fantasy poetry" keyword search after I narrowed it to teen and fiction. Once I further narrowed the genre to "novels in verse" It dropped way down to 6. Only four of them were actually fantasy. - Finding Baba Yaga: a short novel in verse By: Yolen, Jane - Thin places By: Choyce, Lesley - Meet me in the fourth dimension By: Feinstein, Rita - The ghosts of Rose Hill By: Romero, R. M. Between Toni's answer and this one, hopefully you can find one your patron will enjoy. Linda Smith MLIS ( <https://odu.edu/safespace/pronouns-and-why-they-matter>*she/they) <https://odu.edu/safespace/pronouns-and-why-they-matter>* Head of Teen Services Traverse Area District Library 610 Woodmere Ave. Traverse City MI, 49686 231-932-8500 ext. 275 www.tadl.org https://www.tadl.org/millage On Wed, Oct 2, 2024 at 2:37 PM Emma Clemons via Michlib-l < michlib-l@mcls.org> wrote:
Hello Hive Mind!
I had a teen ask me today for fantasy novels in verse. I could only think of realistic fiction in verse so I was stumped! Does anyone know of any, have any recommendations for Fantasy Novels in Verse?
Emma Clemons, MLIS Southfield Public Library (she/her) eclemons@southfieldlibrary.org 248-796-4338
_______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@mcls.org https://mail3.mcls.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
Emma, I might also suggest: Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell, Lyrical retelling of the Arthurian legend of Elaine of Shalott. A review says, "This is a great book to give to your teens looking for novels in verse or fantasy with strong women." (Also just one of my personal favorites) Or A newer book, published in March or April The Boy Lost in the Maze by Joseph Coelho One description says, "In his new verse novel, Joseph Coelho brilliantly blends Greek myth with a 21st century quest. In Ancient Greece Theseus makes a dangerous and courageous journey to find his father, finally meeting the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. While Theo, a modern-day teenage boy, finds himself on a maze-like quest to find his own father. Each story tells of a boy becoming a man and discovering what true manhood really means" Hopefully you can come up with some good options! Hope this helps! Elizabeth Dekkinga On Wed, Oct 2, 2024, 2:36 PM Emma Clemons via Michlib-l <michlib-l@mcls.org> wrote:
Hello Hive Mind!
I had a teen ask me today for fantasy novels in verse. I could only think of realistic fiction in verse so I was stumped! Does anyone know of any, have any recommendations for Fantasy Novels in Verse?
Emma Clemons, MLIS Southfield Public Library (she/her) eclemons@southfieldlibrary.org 248-796-4338
_______________________________________________ Michlib-l mailing list Michlib-l@mcls.org https://mail3.mcls.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
If the "classics" route appeals to you and your reader, then Tennyson's "Idylls of the King" are another possibility. And JRR Tolkien composed "lays" or long-form verse versions of several of the tales from his legendarium which might be of interest to teens with a strong interest in Middle-Earth and its lore. I seem to recall that several of them were never completed (just like that famous painting of Leaf by Niggle.) See the recently published three-volume "Collected Poems of JRR Tolkien", or "The Lays of Beleriand", the third volume of the History of Middle Earth collection. Bradley A. Scott, MLS Electronic Resources Librarian Mott Community College 1401 East Court Street Flint, Michigan 48503 810-762-0405
participants (5)
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Bradley Scott -
Elizabeth Dekkinga -
Emma Clemons -
Linda Smith -
Toni Lea Isom