Novels & Books in Verse

This collection of study guides celebrates both novels in verse and epic poetry. A novel in verse, like Kwame Alexander's The Crossover (winner of the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award Honor for children’s literature) uses the form of a novel but is written in verse instead of prose. An epic poem, such as Homer's Odyssey or Virgil's Aeneid, is a long narrative poem, often about heroic deeds foundational to an ancient civilization. Read on for more insights, analysis, and discussion starters on these creative titles that span centuries.

Publication year -1Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Values/Ideas: FateTags Mythology, Narrative / Epic Poem, Ancient Rome, Italian Literature

An epic poem composed by the Roman poet Virgil between the years of 29 and 19 BCE, the Aeneid represents one of the most important and influential works in Western literature. It centers on the story of Aeneas, a refugee from the Trojan War who was fated to found the Roman nation in Italy. This guide refers to the Oxford World Classic’s edition of the Aeneid, translated by Frederick Ahl. All study guide citations refer... Read Aeneid Summary


Publication year 1856Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionTags Classic Fiction, Social Justice, Gender / Feminism, Romanticism / Romantic Period, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, British Literature, History: World, Victorian Literature / Period

Written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and first published in 1856 at the height of the Romantic Movement, Aurora Leigh is a narrative novel in blank verse that divided critics by challenging the standard positions within contemporary debates regarding class and gender. Standing at nine books and 11,000 lines, it is the first feature-length poem in English that places a female artist at the center of the plot, and as such, it catapulted its equally atypical... Read Aurora Leigh Summary


Publication year 1998Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags LGBTQ, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Anne Carson's Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse reimagines the myth of Herakles and Geryon, the red winged monster whom Herakles slays in his tenth labor. Carson bases her version on fragments of the epic poem by Ancient Greek poet Stesichoros. Stesichoros' version of Herakles' tenth labor is unique in that it is told not from Herakles' perspective, but from "Geryon's own experience" (6). Using this as inspiration, Carson retells Geryon and Herakles' story... Read Autobiography Of Red Summary


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Transl. Seamus Heaney
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Publication year 1000Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionTags Classic Fiction, British Literature, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages

Beowulf is an epic poem written in Old English by an anonymous author around the year 1000 CE. While most of the poem was discovered intact, some of it had been destroyed, likely burned in a fire. The surviving piece was generally regarded as of more interest to historians and anthropologists than to literary scholars until writer and academic J. R. R. Tolkien argued otherwise in a 1936 paper entitled "Beowulf: The Monsters and the... Read Beowulf Summary


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Kwame Alexander
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Publication year 2016Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction

Kwame Alexander’s Booked is a young adult novel in verse about the life of Nick Hall, an eighth-grader and soccer aficionado who struggles to meet his parents’ expectations and honor his own self-identity in the wake of his parents’ separation. The book is both a sports novel and a reflection on Nick’s experiences struggling with an injury and major changes in his home life. The book is geared toward 10- to 12-year-old readers and includes... Read Booked Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Novel/Book in Verse, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: FamilyTags Race / Racism, Narrative / Epic Poem, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Children's Literature, Biography

Brown Girl Dreaming (2014) is a memoir in verse by Jacqueline Woodson, a children’s and young adult fiction writer. Published by Nancy Paulsen Books, a division of the Penguin Group, the memoir won the National Book Award, the Newberry Honor Book Award, and the Coretta Scott King Award.Plot SummaryBrown Girl Dreaming covers Woodson’s childhood, detailing her family history and her beginnings as a writer. Woodson was born in Columbus, Ohio, on February 12, 1963, the... Read Brown Girl Dreaming Summary


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Ellen Hopkins
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Publication year 2004Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 1307Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionTags Italian Literature, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Christian literature

The Inferno is the first book of Dante Alighieri’s great medieval epic, The Divine Comedy: a monument of world literature. Written between 1308 and 1320, the three-part poem charts Dante’s transformative journey through Hell and Purgatory to Heaven itself. The poem’s form—terza rima, an endlessly circling pattern of interweaving triple rhymes—reflects its major theme: the wisdom, power, and love of the trinitarian Christian God. Like every book of the Comedy, Inferno ends with the word... Read Dante's Inferno Summary


Publication year 2004Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Teams, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Art, Life/Time: Birth, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: FamilyTags Relationships, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2007Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Arts / Culture

Home of the Brave is a 2008 juvenile novel by Katherine Applegate that is written entirely in free verse. The story revolves around the protagonist, a young boy named Kek, who has fled from violence and upheaval in his native Sudan and traveled alone to the United States. Kek’s father and older brother were killed in an attack on their camp, and Kek was forced to leave his mother behind to save his own life... Read Home of the Brave Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

House Arrest is K. A. Holt’s 2015 novel in free verse. Narrated in the first-person voice of 12-year-old Timothy, the novel is comprised of fifty-two weeks of journal entries that he is required to write as part of his probation for stealing a wallet to pay for his infant brother Levi’s medication. The novel is divided by seasons.During winter, Timothy begins his journal and weekly meetings with his probation officer, James, and his court-appointed psychologist... Read House Arrest Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature

The story opens in February 1975. Hà lives with her mother and three older brothers (Brother Quang, Brother Vũ, and Brother Khôi) in Saigon, South Vietnam. Hà knows her father, a naval officer, only through Mother’s stories and memories; he disappeared nine years earlier, a victim of the Communist Army of North Vietnam. Hà learns fractions, practices embroidery, and celebrates the start of the new lunar year on Tết (February 11). As spring and Hà’s... Read Inside Out And Back Again Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Realistic Fiction, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction

Long Way Down (2017) by Jason Reynolds is a young adult novel in free verse about Will Holloman, a young black boy struggling to make a decision after his brother Shawn is shot dead in the street. Will plans to seek revenge, but before he can leave the elevator of his building, he is greeted by a series of ghosts who confuse and complicate his perspective on Shawn’s death and the idea of revenge killing... Read Long Way Down Summary


Publication year 1993Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: TeamsTags Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Poverty

First published in 1993, Virginia Euwer Wolff’s Make Lemonade is a young adult novel written in free verse. The novel received numerous awards, including the Golden Kite Award for Fiction and the Parents’ Choice Book Award, and was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and School Library Journal Best Book. While Wolff herself defines her novel as “prose” with “stanzas” rather than poetry, she includes poetic imagery and innovative use of language and... Read Make Lemonade Summary


Publication year 1532Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Gender, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Narrative / Epic Poem, Gender / Feminism, History: European, Love / Sexuality, Military / War, Italian Literature, Renaissance, Mental Illness, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: World, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2019Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Identity: Race, Relationships: FamilyTags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Immigration / Refugee, Diversity, Race / Racism, American Literature, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture

Publication year 1997Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Class, Natural World: Place, Natural World: Climate, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: Disability, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Music, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Fathers, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Food, Society: EducationTags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Agriculture, History: U.S., Great Depression, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction

Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust is a historical middle-grade novel in verse first published in 1997. Through 110 first-person free verse poems, the narrative tells the story of two years in the life of Billie Jo Kelby, young daughter of a struggling farming family in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the mid-1930s. After a tragic accident results in the death of Billie Jo’s mother and baby brother, she and her father must find a way... Read Out of the Dust Summary


Publication year 1667Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionTags Narrative / Epic Poem, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality

Paradise Lost by John Milton is a long-form epic poem consisting of 12 books and more than 10,000 lines of blank verse. Published in 1667, Milton’s poem is an argument on self-determination and God’s justice explored through a creative retelling of the fall of Adam and Eve. The themes explored throughout the poem parallel Milton’s own life. He calls upon muses to help him see, an allusion to the seers in classic Greek epics and... Read Paradise Lost Summary


Publication year 1671Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionTags Classic Fiction, Narrative / Epic Poem, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality

Paradise Regained by John Milton is an epic narrative poem that was initially published in 1671. A widely-revered essayist, dramatist, and lyric poet, Milton is perhaps best known for Paradise Lost, an epic poem he wrote in 1667. Whereas Paradise Lost depicts Lucifer’s fall from Heaven and Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Paradise Regained centers on the temptation of Christ, drawing on the Gospel of Luke for its inspiration.Milton’s 1671 epic... Read Paradise Regained Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Realistic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Incarceration, Black Lives Matter, Diversity, Race / Racism, American Literature, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 1316Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Classic Fiction, Italian Literature, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Christian literature

Purgatorio is the second of three poems that make up The Divine Comedy by Florentine statesman, poet, and philosopher Dante. In The Divine Comedy, Dante travels first through Hell (the poem Inferno), then through Purgatory (the poem Purgatorio), and finally through Heaven (the poem Paradiso). Purgatorio follows Dante on his journey from the shores of Purgatory, through the seven levels where penitents atone for the seven deadly sins, and into the Garden of Eden. The... Read Purgatorio Summary


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Laurie Halse Anderson
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Genre Novel/Book in Verse, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Shout: The True Story of A Survivor Who Refused to be Silenced by Laurie Halse Anderson is a memoir written in verse published in 2019. Anderson wrote it as both a personal narrative and a call to action in the wake of the 2017 #MeToo movement, which supported survivors of sexual assault who came forward to share their stories publicly. Shout received widespread critical acclaim and was named Time’s Best Book of the Year 2019.Laurie... Read Shout Summary


Publication year 1397Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Identity: Masculinity, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & BetrayalTags Classic Fiction, Narrative / Epic Poem, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, British Literature

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a chivalric romance of unknown authorship. Written sometime in the late-14th century, the work employs a complex metrical scheme that involves several lines of pentameter punctuated by a “bob and wheel”: a two-syllable “bob” followed by a rhyming quatrain of six-syllable lines. The bob and wheel structure is fairly typical of Middle English verse, as is the alliterative verse used throughout the sections written in pentameter. Its subject... Read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Summary


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Mary Rand Hess, Kwame Alexander
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Publication year 2017Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Fame, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Colonialism, Natural World: Appearance & RealityTags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Prose poetry, Free verse, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Music, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Life/Time: Midlife, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Identity: MasculinityTags Lyric Poem, Romance, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Ancient Rome, Didacticism, Love / Sexuality, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, History: European, Gender / Feminism, Relationships, Philosophy, Classical Period, History: World, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

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Statius, Transl. Jane Wilson Joyce
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Publication year 92Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & AngerTags Classic Fiction, Mythology, Narrative / Epic Poem, Military / War, Ancient Rome

Publication year 1400Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: LoveTags Classic Fiction, Satire, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Narrative / Epic Poem, British Literature, Education, Education, Historical Fiction

Written in the late 1300s, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is one of the greatest surviving works of Middle English literature, and was a huge influence on later writers from Shakespeare to Keats, among many others.This guide refers to Neville Coghill’s modern English translation (Penguin, 2003).Plot SummaryThe Canterbury Tales tells the story of a group of pilgrims traveling from London to Canterbury to visit the holy shrine of St. Thomas Becket. This is a story... Read The Canterbury Tales Summary


Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Religion / Spirituality, Classic Fiction, Narrative / Epic Poem, Animals

Considered widely as a masterpiece of Persian literature, Farid ud-Din Attar’s epic poem, The Conference of the Birds, tells the story of thirty birds on a journey to find their ideal Sovereign, the Great Simorgh, the mythical bird that dwells on Mount Qaf, a legendary mountain that encompasses the earth. First published in 1077 CE and consisting of more than 4,500 lines, the central concern of the poem is Sufism, a mystical doctrine of Islam... Read The Conference of the Birds Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Narrative / Epic Poem, Sports, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

The Crossover (2014) is a coming-of-age novel in verse by award-winning children’s author and poet Kwame Alexander. The narrative follows a 12-year-old Black boy named Josh Bell whose poems express his love for basketball and his family. With his twin brother, Jordan, Josh’s sense of self evolves as he uses basketball to deal with his father’s death. The book explores themes of Confidence and Vulnerability; Basketball as Life Lessons; and Music, Rhythm, and Identity.Rebound, a... Read The Crossover Summary


Publication year 2022Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Grandparents, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Identity: Language, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Nation, Society: Education, Self Discovery, Relationships: FathersTags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Free verse, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, History: African , African American Literature, History: World

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Homer, Transl. Robert Fagles
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Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Fate, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: LiteratureTags Mythology, Narrative / Epic Poem, Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Education, Education, Military / War, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

The Iliad is a classic ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer, a name believed to refer to a tradition of epic hexameter verse rather than an individual composer. When, how, and by whom the poem was composed continues to be debated. Scholars generally believe the poem was composed and passed on orally, possibly over hundreds of years, before it was written down at some point during the mid-8th century BC (approximately when the Greek... Read The Iliad Summary


Publication year 1100Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: SiblingsTags Classic Fiction, Romance, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Religion / Spirituality, History: European, French Literature, Education, Education, Mythology, Fantasy

The Lais of Marie de France is a collection of 12 romantic narratives—known as Breton Lais—composed in the late 12th century and credited to the French-English poet Marie de France. The lay or lai is a short tale of octosyllabic rhyming couplets which is generally 600–1000 lines long. It can be accompanied by music and is typical of Brittany, a Northern French region with strong Celtic influences. Themes of love, chivalry and the supernatural are... Read The Lais of Marie de France Summary


Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: FateTags Classic Fiction, Narrative / Epic Poem, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Education, Education, Fantasy, Action / Adventure

The Odyssey is a classic ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer, though “Homer” is now generally believed to refer more to an epic tradition than to a specific or single person. Scholars debate when and how the poem was composed. It seems to have come into existence contemporaneously or shortly after the adaptation of the ancient Greek alphabet, which places it in the late 8th century BC. It was most likely composed orally, and... Read The Odyssey Summary


Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: FriendshipTags Historical Fiction, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Narrative / Epic Poem, Action / Adventure, History: European, Military / War

The Song of the Cid, also known as El Cantar de mio Cid, is a Spanish epic written in verse by an unknown author. The only surviving medieval Spanish epic, it is widely considered Spain’s national folktale, telling of fictionalized events at the formation of medieval Spain in the 11th century. It is based on the true story of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, a Castilian knight who in reality fought for both Christian and Muslim... Read The Poem of the Cid Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Music, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & PrideTags Music, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ

Elizabeth Acevedo’s award-winning 2018 young adult novel, The Poet X, brings to life the inner world of protagonist Xiomara Batista. Xiomara is 15 years old, and from her bedroom in Harlem, she writes poetry in order to put on the page all the feelings and ideas she cannot seem to be able to say out loud. Xiomara resigns herself to writing in her notebook and sharing her thoughts with only a few trusted individuals until... Read The Poet X Summary


Publication year 1176Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Classic Fiction, Romance, Mythology, Narrative / Epic Poem, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, French Literature, Education, Education, History: World, Fantasy

Completed in the year 1181, Yvain, Or the Knight of the Lion is an epic poem by Chrétian De Troyes that tells the story of Yvain, one of King Arthur’s knights, and the many great deeds he performs as he attempts to earn the love of the Lady Laudine. One of the founding stories of the Arthurian legend, Yvain paints a vivid picture of the knightly code of chivalry during the Middle Ages. Its high... Read Yvain, or the Knight With the Lion Summary