What counts
A book belongs on the shelf when all of these are true.
One story, told in poems
The story is told mainly in verse, from beginning to end.
For middle grade or young adult readers
Middle grade is about ages 8 to 12; young adult is about 12 and up. We go by the publisher's age range.
Book length
About 100 printed pages or more, and not illustrated on most pages.
Memoir and biography count
True stories in verse are welcome when they follow one person's or one family's life, like Brown Girl Dreaming.
From a US or Canadian publisher, any year
Books readers can find in US libraries and bookstores, from new releases to classics.
Coming soon, once there's a date
Upcoming books join the Coming soon list when they have a firm release date.
Verse & prose
Verse & proseSome novels tell part of the story in prose, with chapters or narrators that alternate between the two. They're on the shelf, marked with this label, when the poems carry a real share of the story. A prose novel with an occasional poem isn't.
Why a book might not be here
Many wonderful books are written in verse but fall outside what this shelf collects. These are the most common reasons.
Picture books and short verse stories
Books under about 100 pages, or illustrated on most pages, even when they're written in verse.
Early chapter books
Illustrated chapter books and early readers for ages 6 to 9.
Poetry collections and anthologies
Collections of separate poems or stories, even when the poems are linked by a theme or setting.
Histories told in many voices
Nonfiction that tells many people's stories across history, rather than following one story.
Graphic novels and other formats
Books told partly in comics, or as letters, texts and documents, plus plays and monologues.
Prose novels with a few poems
Stories told in prose where a character writes the occasional poem.
Self-published books
We list books from publishers, so every detail can be confirmed from a publisher page, library catalog or review.
Published only outside the US and Canada
Books with no US or Canadian edition sold in the US, which are hard for readers here to find.
Made with AI
Books whose text, cover or illustrations were generated by AI. See our AI policy.
Or we haven't found it yet
If a book fits everything above and it's missing, tell us. Suggest a book.
How books get here
Every month we look for new and upcoming releases, award winners and notable lists, and other books by authors already on the shelf.
Visitors' suggestions are reviewed every day against the same guidelines.
Before a book is added, its format, age range and publisher are checked against a publisher page, library catalog or review.
AI tools help with some of this work behind the scenes, and every book is still checked against publisher and library sources. See our AI policy.
Who's behind the shelf
The Verse Novel Shelf is curated by Hannah O'Reilly. She started it as a way to find and read more of the books she loves in the novel in verse genre.
It's an independent project: no publisher pays for a spot, and there are no ads or affiliate links. Books are chosen by the guidelines on this page.
Questions or corrections? Message @versenovelshelf.com on Bluesky.
Know a book we missed?
Suggest it and we'll check it against these guidelines.
Suggest a book