[LM_NET] HIT: YA Novels written in poetic form

[Susan <catmafia@DIRECWAY.COM>]

Susan wrote:

> I would love to have recomendations of novels written in some sort of 
> poetic format.  A short note about the book and any specifics about 
> the poetry types contained would be great, expecially if they have 
> some form of appendix that addresses the poetry in the book.  I've had 
> several instances recently where I've needed this list.  I've only 
> read a few and loved them. I would be happy to coallate them into a 
> list to have for quick reference.  So often they fall within Realistic 
> Fiction, but know that there are Historical Fiction and other genres 
> in this form.
>
> One additional question, are you all making this a part of the subject 
> headings that you have hot linked in your catalogs, so that students 
> can find more of the format when they like them?
> Susan O'Neal
>

*Webpages:*
I have a simple list, no annotations or separation by genre, at 
<http://pac.egreen.wednet.edu/library/ReadingLists/NovelsInVerse.htm>  
We've gotten in several new ones so list is a bit out of date (one more 
thing on the ToDo list)
All are in catalog as 'Novels in Verse'. (if this loads as a simple 
list-If you saw a simple list, I have updated it with a bunch of newer 
titles. Also added the cataloging notes.  Same URL, just hit refresh. )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I just found this list the other day and thought it was useful enough to bookmark.
http://www.wiredforyouth.com/books/index.cfm?booklist=verse


*Prior Hit on LM_NET:*
"verse fiction?" has about 40 books listed but I couldn't find the link 
when I searched
these books are listed below with another list I was sent

*Individual contributions:*

I love Mel Glenn's books...The Take of Room 114, Jump Shot, Split
Image, Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?  He's a retired English teacher and
a really great guy.  The books hit a chord with the kids.


Besides what's on your list, my all time favorite is
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech.  It's a quick read,
lots of provocative images and journeys, and always
leaves me in tears - even reaading the excerpts on her
website  :~)  I think it is probably billed for upper
elementary/middle, but I wouldn't let that stop me
from giving it to high school.

Keesha's house by Helen Frost
Received Michael L. Printz Honor Award
Uses sestinas and sonnets
Poems actually recount the stories of several teens and their problems. 
Very well done.
*
This is a combined list of ones sent without comment or minimal 
comment-many are taken from a prior LM_NET HIT*

AFTER THE DEATH OF ANNA GONZALES / Gonzales
ALEUTIAN SPARROW / Hesse  good historical fiction
BECOMING JOE DIMAGGIO / Testa-not too popular
BRIMSTONE JOURNALS / Koertge
BRONX MASQUERADE / Grimes-not a true novel in verse, but great book/poetry
CLASS DISMISSED! / Glenn
CLASS DISMISSED II / Glenn
CRASHBOOMLOVE / Herrera
FIRST PART LAST / Johnson
FOREIGN EXCHANGE / Glenn
FRENCHTOWN SUMMER / Cormier
GIRL COMING IN FOR A LANDING / Wayland-fun one
JINX / Wild
JUMP BALL:  A BASKETBALL SEASON IN POEMS / Glenn
KEESHA'S HOUSE / Frost-mature content
LEARNING TO SWIM / Turner-sexual abuse
LOCOMOTION / Woodson
LOVE THAT DOG / Creech
Make Lemonade/ Wolff
MY FRIEND'S GOT THIS PROBLEM, MR. CHANDLER (O.P.) / Glenn
On Pointe
One of those hideous books where the mother dies
ONE NIGHT / Wild
Out of the Dust / Hesse
PLACE LIKE THIS / Herrick
17 (SEVENTEEN) / Rosenberg
SIMPLE GIFT / Herrick
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup-great one!
SPINNING THROUGH THE UNIVERSE / Frost
SPLIT IMAGE / Glenn
Stop Pretending:  What happened when my sister went crazy/ Sones
SOUL MOON SOUP / Johnson
TAKING OF ROOM 114 / Glenn
True Believer/ Wolff
VOLCANO BOY / Hathorn
WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW / Sones
WHO KILLED MR. CHIPPENDALE?  A MYSTERY IN POEMS / Glenn
Who Will Tell my Brother/ Carvell -they like this one
WITNESS / Hesse

*
Additional comments on marking them in the OPAC:*
I have a category - novel length poems (or something like that - I'm at 
home right now) and if the kids want to search them they can search by 
category.

I have them listed as a genre in the visual search feature of Spectrum.


That seems to be the rap up on it, I have loved these books.  I love the 
telling of story through verse and through tutoring I've found that the 
girl I'm working with really has connected with them.  I've used First 
Part Last, Keesha's House, and Shakespeare Bats Cleanup and she's really 
liked each of them.  It seems like they were all at about a 5th grade 
reading level but were dealing with YA themes.  The voice in which the 
authors' spoke made the books real for her, each of them connected to 
her life in a very real way and gave her a desire to read them and know 
what was going on.

Other's that I have personally loved were Jinx, Bronxs Masquarade.  
Several of these books have been in the running for the Oklahoma 
Sequoyah award and I know that several have also been Coretta Scott King 
and Printz award and honor books.  Now to get a list to a high school 
english teacher in one of my classes, I mentioned them to her when she 
was speaking about students studing poetry and she was completely 
ignorant of YA books at all, let alone them.  I was working hard not to 
gasp when she brought up the fact that 'at this age they are reading 
classics'.  Relevance toward life has to mean something, I would hope.  
Wanting to have a list to give her was what started me on this quest, I 
hope that it might be something she can incorporate into her teaching.

Susan O'Neal
LMIT student at NSU
Tahlequah, OK
catmafia@direcway.com

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