Five Treasures to be Found in Novels in Verse

By Marci Whitehurst Novels in verse are a hybrid form of storytelling. Novels in verse combine a complete narrative with the structure of poetry, bringing depth and richness to the beauty of stories.  Here are five treasures you’ll find in a novel in verse:  POETRY!  This treasure is obvious on every page of a novel in verse. Each page is a poem. The majority are free verse poems, meaning these poems don’t follow a particular meter, form, or rhythm. The poems can stand alone, but when each page of poetry is read from beginning to end, it weaves a full narrative to make a complete story. Check out this example from our own Rebecca J. Gomez’s forthcoming novel in verse:  Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published We call this car, Sandra’s white clunky car, a marshmallow with wheels. It’s riddled with dings and dents, and the rear driver’s side window is stuck stubbornly up and the tear in the vinyl seat pinches if you sit just wrong while wearing shorts

Summer Challenge End-of-Summer Party!


Do you have your party hat on? It may be the end of the End of Summer Challenge, but the fun isn't quite over! We've got some fun stuff planned for the next several days, with a GIVEAWAY as the grand finale. 

In case you've missed out on the Summer Challenge, it's not too late to check out the themes and join in the fun with your own little readers. But don't worry. Participation is not required in order to enter the giveaway. 

If you did participate in the challenge, even if you didn't get through all the themes, we'd love to know about it! And to thank you, we'd like to offer you a printable certificate. You can download a blank one here or email us (readdiscussdo@gmail.com) to request a personalized PDF!

And now for a round-up of all of the themes. We hope that you will continue to use these as inspiration for discussion and connection in the future. 



  










If you enjoyed all of these story time ideas, check back regularly for more great Read, Discuss, Do! ideas. Or better yet, sign up for our newsletter so you don't miss a thing. We have so much planned for the next several months, including author interviews, reading tips, book lists, and, of course, simple story time ideas to help you connect with the young readers in your life. In the mean time, enjoy the celebration! Here's a schedule of events:

Saturday, August 21: Summer Challenge highlights from around the web
Monday, August 23: 12 Easy Art Projects with author/illustrator Patricia Keeler
Tuesday, August 24: Tips for connecting with kids through books beyond the summer
Wednesday, August 25: GIVEAWAY! 

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