From: Kathy Isaacs <kisaacs>
Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2007 14:48:08 -0500

You raise an interesting point. The Sibert Award is given to informational books for readers up through 14, so it is not surprising that those books do not appear to be aimed at high school readers. And I recently had a conversation with an adult writer-hopeful who felt that the Scientist in the Field series books I showed her (two of which have now received Sibert honors) must be for children - that is, 2nd-4th graders - because of the large number of pictures. And yet, a group of college juniors - elementary teachers to be - who also looked at 4 or 5 books from this series, felt that they were too difficult for their students, too wordy, and hard even for the college students to understand.

What age reader WOULD enjoy these books as leisure reading? What is the experience of librarians in the field?

My own feeling is that middle school readers and beyond - all the way to adults - can enjoy books like the ones that were honored by the Sibert Committee this year. (I'm excepting To Dance which I haven't seen yet, but the cover is certainly aimed at a younger reader.) They aren't books for research, but for introducing the reader to a new subject or experience. Or, if you are an older adult for whom the race to the moon and the struggle for civil rights was part of your own history, they put together half-remembered history is a new perspective. All three were wonderful choices.

Kathy Isaacs

Kathy Johnson wrote:
> As someone who focuses on the young adult, especially high school end
> of the spectrum, once again this year I notice that the award-winning
> non-fiction is all intended (or at least labeled) for younger
> readers.
>
;;;
> On a related issue, a colleague has noticed that the large trim size
> of a number of non-fiction titles often leads them to be shelved in
> Children's Rooms, where Teens are reluctant to pick them up and read
> them because they look too much like picture books.
>
>
Received on Wed 07 Mar 2007 01:48:08 PM CST