Novels in Verse

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Episode 26: Novels in Verse (transcript)

Welcome to another episode of Happy Reading, a podcast that spotlights and celebrates fabulous middle grade stories. I’m Sarah Threlkeld, a former 6th grade reading teacher and elementary librarian with a Master’s degree in Children’s Literature. I’m mildly obsessed with children’s books and love recommending them to readers of all ages. I’m that person who eavesdrops on families in libraries and bookstores and then offers unsolicited advice on which books to take home. Luckily for me, I’ll soon be starting my new gig as the head of the children’s department at Island Books, an incredible independent bookstore in the Seattle area that has been around for over fifty years. If you are ever on Mercer Island and want to chat about kid’s books, please stop by!

For those of you joining me for the first time, each episode is formatted the same way. I summarize a handful of books that fit a theme and read a short excerpt from each one so you get a sense of the author’s writing style, the characters’ voices and the storyline. While I truly believe middle grade books can be enjoyed by people of all ages, they are generally thought of as a good fit for 8- to 12-year-old readers, although some books do skew younger, while others are classified as older middle grade because of mature themes. Not every book on this podcast will be appropriate for every reader, and occasionally I may recommend chapter books or young adult books that fit the episode’s theme. 

April may be National Poetry Month, but novels in verse are great any time of year! I’m kind of shocked it took me so long to spotlight this format, since it has exploded in the kidlit world in the last decade, with a few dozen titles released each year. I love novels in verse because they appeal to so many different kinds of readers: kids who love poetry, those who might feel intimidated by longer books and benefit from lots of white space on the page, and people who enjoy word play. Poetry even has health benefits! A 2023 research study out of the UK found that people exposed to poetry, either through writing, reading or listening to it, demonstrated a decrease in feelings of loneliness, anxiety, isolation, and depression.

I’m sharing four novels in verse today, but I could have easily shared a dozen. Most of the titles I’m spotlighting explore serious issues, but, rest assured, there are funny and playful novels in verse out there. And now, without further ado, let’s read some poems!

Written by Shari Green and published by Pajama Press in 2017, Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess is a beautiful story about an intergenerational friendship between 11-year old Macy and her 86-year-old neighbor Iris. It explores the impact of both big and small changes, what it can be like to live with a disability, and the power of stories.

I’m going to share three poems from the beginning of the book, although they do not occur one after the other (p. 7-11, 25-30, and 39-48).

I don’t think I have ever read a book by Katharine Applegate that I didn’t enjoy and Odder is no exception. Released by Feiwel and Friends in 2022, Odder pulls readers into a marine world along the California coast, giving them a peek at what life is like for a rambunctious and daring sea otter. Applegate’s writing is so powerful and the characters’ voices so compelling, that you’ll be startled at the end to realize you are not, in fact, a sea otter yourself.


Unlike Macy McMillan, the poems in Odder are fairly short, so I’m going to read five of them (p. 9, 13, 34-35, 48-49, and 52).

I read Rebekah Lowell’s The Road to After almost two years ago and am still haunted by the main character’s experience of psychological and emotional abuse at the hands of her father. Published by Nancy Paulsen Books in 2022, this book is perfect for fans of realistic fiction that deals with messy, complicated emotions and circumstances.

(Read first four poems)

Alone, written by Megan E. Freeman and released by Aladdin in 2021, is another book that stayed with me long after the last page. It’s the kind of book you read in a day or two and then thrust into someone’s hands, demanding they read it immediately because it is so riveting.

I’m going to share four poems that demonstrate Freeman’s ability to ratchet up the tension and leave readers desperate to find out what happens next (p. 1-2, 13-14, 25-28).

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Happy Reading podcast. I hope you discovered some new books that you are excited to read or that you were reminded of some that have been hanging out on your TBR stack. If you know of other wonderful middle grade books that fit this episode’s theme, I’d love to hear about them. You can find me on X as Wordnerd153 and on Instagram as Kidlit_Lover. You can also message me through the Happy Reading website at happyrdng.blogspot.com. If you enjoy this podcast and want to help other people discover it, please take a moment to rate and review it on Apple Podcasts. Thanks again for spending some time with me. Until next time, happy reading!