From: Brenda_Bowen at prenhall.com <Brenda_Bowen>
Date: 23 Jun 1998 14:41:56 -0400

KT makes an interesting point about how YA books are getting younger
     and younger. That's something we're all thinking about in the
     publishing community.
     
     I've always defined YA books as books written from the point of view
     of someone whose knowledge of the world comes only from his/her own
     experience. In other words, the central character of a YA book has no
     larger context from which to view his/her world.
     
     That's why SMACK, to me, is a YA book. And it's why other celebrated
     books about childhood -- BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA, EDISTO -- are adult
     books.
     
     Now that children are exposed to more and more of the world at an
     earlier age, what we know to be YA is getting younger. The trick for
     us all is to acknowledge that there is still something unique about
     being 15 years old, and to find books that speak to that age level
     *as it is today.*
     
     I think we also need to look at how we're packaging books, not just in
     terms of the covers but also in terms of typography, sentence
     structure, chapter length, visuals, etc. (One of the attractions of
     SMACK is probably that it can be read in short bursts.)
     
     Any takers on what is a YA book?
     
     Brenda Bowen
     Publisher, Hardcover & Paperback Books
     Simon & Schuster Children's Division
Received on Tue 23 Jun 1998 01:41:56 PM CDT