Middle Grades Novels in Verse: Examining Stereotypes in Early Adolescent Characters
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21900/j.rydl.v6i2.1457Keywords:
middle grades, novels in verse, stereotypes, youth lens, confident characteristicsAbstract
In this article, the authors share analyses of two middle grade novels in verse to demonstrate how pre-service and in-service teachers and librarians may engage in similar analyses themselves or with their students. Authors use Lesko’s confident characterizations and Sarigianides et al.’s youth lens (Rethinking the “Adolescent”) to analyze two middle grade novels in verse. The authors found that while stereotypes are present, they do not define the characters. Rather, the stereotypes illustrate the growth of the characters as they navigate adolescence. The final verses are not presented as endings, but beginnings of the characters’ journeys.
References
Alexander, Joy. “The Verse-Novel: A New Genre.” Children’s Literature in Education, vol. 36, no. 3, 2005, pp. 269-283.
Bishop, Rudine Sims. “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors.” Perspectives, vol. 6, no. 3, 1990, pp. ix–xi.
Borsheim-Black, Carlin. “Reading Pop Culture and Young Adult Literature Through the Youth Lens.” English Journal, vol. 104, no. 3, 2015, pp. 29-34.
Cadden, Mike. “Genre as Nexus: The Novel for Children and Young Adults.”
Handbook of Research on Children’s and Young Adult Literature, edited by Shelby A. Wolf, et al., Routledge, 2010, pp. 302-313.
Crumpler, Thomas P. and Wedwick, Linda. “Readers, Texts, and Contexts in the Middle: Re-Imagining Literature Education for Young Adolescents.” Handbook of Research on Children’s and Young Adult Literature, edited by Shelby. A. Wolf, et al., Routledge, 2010, pp. 63-75.
Farish, Terry. “Why Verse? Poetic Novels for Historical Fiction, Displacement Stories, and Struggling Readers.” School Library Journal, 18 Nov. 2013, www.slj.com/story/why-verse-poetic-novels-are-a-natural-fit-for-historical-fiction-displacement-stories-and-struggling-readers. Accessed 5 Aug. 2022.
Friesner, Brenna. The Verse Novel in Young Adult Literature. Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.
George, Marshall. “Comparing Middle Grade Teachers’ and Middle Grade Students’ Reader Responses to Newbery Award Winners: A True Teacher's Lounge Story and the Question It Raised.” ALAN Review, vol. 36, no. 1, 2008, pp. 55-65.
Harvey, Stephanie and Ward, Annie. From Striving to Thriving: How to Grow Confident, Capable Readers. Scholastic, 2017.
“How Poetry Can Help Kids Turn a Fear of Literature into Love.” YouTube, uploaded by PBS NewsHour, 5 Dec. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsQNaSLziGI.
Krok, Lisa. Novels in Verse for Teens: A Guidebook with Activities for Teachers and Librarians. Libraries Unlimited, 2020.
Krug, Nora. “How a Kid Who Didn’t Read a Book Until He Was 17 Grew Up to Become a Literary Star.” Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2017. www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/he-didnt-read-books-as-a-kid-but-jason-reynolds-wants-to-make-sure-your-kids-do/2017/10/23/ed4b55da-9d4c-11e7-9083-fbfddf6804c2_story.html. Accessed 5 Aug. 2022.
Lesko, Nancy. Act Your Age!: A Cultural Construction of Adolescence. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2012.
Maughan, Shannon. “Navigating Middle Grade Books.” Publishers Weekly, 13 April 2018,
www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/76625-navigating-middle-grade.html. Accessed 5 Aug. 2022.
Murphy, Patrick D. “The Verse Novel: A Modern American Poetic Genre.” College English, vol. 51, no. 1, 1989, pp. 57-72.
“Nikki Grimes.” YouTube, uploaded by Reading Rockets, 20 April, 2011,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXWHBqtNzcA
“Novel in verse.” The Bloomsbury Dictionary of English Literature, edited by Marion Wynne-Davies. 2nd ed. 1997. Bloomsbury. Credo Reference: http://leo.lib.unomaha.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/blit/novel_in_verse/0?institutionId=4287
Obama, Michelle. “‘Unity with Purpose’: Amanda Gorman and Michelle Obama Discuss Art, Identity, and Optimism.” Time, 4 Feb. 2021, time.com/5933596/amanda-gorman-michelle-obama-interview. Accessed 5 Aug. 2022.
Petrone, Robert, et al. “The Youth Lens: Analyzing Adolescence/ts in Literary Texts.” Journal of Literacy Research, vol. 46, no. 4, 2015, pp. 506-533.
Rosenberg, Liz. (1991). “Has Poetry for Kids Become a Child’s Garden of Rubbish?” The New York Times Book Review, 10 Nov. 1991, p. 55.
Salazar, Aida. The Moon Within. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2019.
Sarigianides, Sophia Tatiana, et al. “How Re-thinking Adolescence Helps Re-imagine the Teaching of English. English Journal, vol. 104, no. 3, 2015, pp. 13-18.
Sarigianides, Sophia Tatiana, et al. Rethinking the “Adolescent” in Adolescent Literacy. National Council of Teachers of English, 2017.
Simpson, S. & Millikan, P. (n.d.). The power of hope: What we can learn about middle school from 7th grade inaugural poetry contest finalist Gabby Marshall. Association for Middle Level Education. https://www.amle.org/the-power-of-hope-what-we-can-learn-about-middle-school-from-7th-grade-inaugural-poetry-contest-finalist-gabby-marshall/
Turner, Jennifer D. “Poetic Possibilities: A Conversation with WordSong Editor Rebecca Davis on the Beauty and Passion of Poetry.” Language Arts, vol. 94, no. 6, 2017, pp. 411-417.
van Sickle, Vikki. “Subcategories Within the Emerging Genre of the Verse Novel.” The Looking Glass: New Perspectives on Children's Literature, vol. 10, no. 3, 2006. https://ojs.latrobe.edu.au/ojs/index.php/tlg/article/view/74
Woodson, Jacqueline. Before the Ever After. New York, Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Julie Bell, Melissa Cast-Brede
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The first 4 issues of RDYL were originally published at St. Catherine University and moved to IOPN in summer 2024 and all rights are reserved by the authors. Only issues 5.1 and onward are covered by RDYL IOPN's CC BY-NC 4.0 license.
