Verse novels are all the rage these days. They are like the essential oils of literature, distilling dialogue, plot and character to their punchiest, most pungent form, conjuring up a concentrated “hit” of story that will intoxicate some readers — and may cause irritation to others.
The other big selling point is that all those artful pages featuring more blank space than text make verse novels very, very quick to read. No wonder they have become so popular in this era of shortened concentration spans.
There were three verse novels on this year’s shortlist for the Carnegie Medal for writing, and Crossing the Line stood out as the one that resonated most with young readers. It won the Shadowers’ Choice award, making it officially
