Verse is unique in that it is both direct and intimate. Why do you think verse pairs so well with historical narratives? I love the way that historical verse novels communicate a time and place without feeling weighed down by background information. (Note from Laura: You can read more about this at my 2015 blog post about BLUE BIRDS.) What verse did for this story was magical, plain and simple. Through line and stanza breaks as well as dual-voice poems, I was able to move readers from one perspective to the other, could contrast in “real time” each child’s reaction, thoughts, and emotions, and could show the slow drawing together they experienced.

Second, because the story is told in two voices, verse allowed me to visually communicate the girls’ relationship in a way prose never could. Verse felt like the right fit for this story for two reasons.įirst, I love how verse strips away the unnecessary and gives a feeling of immediacy, which really helps in making historical fiction accessible to young readers. More specifically, it’s the story of a forbidden friendship between two girls - one Roanoke and one English. What is it about the story and characters that led you to write the book as poetry?īlue Birds is set in 1587 on the island of Roanoke and is about England’s first (doomed) colony in the New World. But today, she’s joining my month-long series of interviews with verse novelists.Ĭaroline, tell us about your most recent verse novel. Caroline’s got a new prose novel out, JASPER AND THE RIDDLE OF RILEY’S MINE.

I’m thrilled to welcome middle grade author Caroline Starr Rose to the blog today. This week is the first Poetry Friday of National Poetry Month, 2017.

Blue birds caroline starr rose