From: Connie Rockman <connie.rock>
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:29:40 -0400

On Jul 30, 2008, at 2:10 PM, Brian & Jen, Meg & Ethan wrote:

> I was interested at the number of times the establishment - publishers,
> editors, librarians, etc - seemed to thumb their collective noses at
> reading
> material they didn't feel was quality literature.
>
Brian's post stirred for a memory for me - a library moment when I was about 9 or 10 years old. At my branch library in northeast Philadelphia, I gathered a lot of courage to approach a fearsome librarian and ask her where to find my current favorite books. As I remember the moment (and it still gives me chills), she looked down her nose at me and declared icily, "We don't carry Nancy Drew books." A lot of years passed before I approached another librarian in a public library (I did not have that strong sense of self that helped Leonard stand up to his librarian). I simply understood in my 9 year old mind that I could not trust that woman's judgment!

So while I appreciate the urge to excellence those early "minders" had, I'm afraid there was a downside to it as well. If we can't meet children where they are in their reading continuum, we miss the chance to guide them a little farther down the road toward more satisfying literary experiences. After editing three volumes in the H. W. Wilson series (Junior Authors and Illustrators), in which writers and artists write a short biographical sketch, I'm continually amazed at how many of today's authors mention Nancy Drew and (less often) the Hardy Boys as strong influences on them when they were early readers. The other book that is mentioned most as an early influence (especially by female writers) is Harriet the Spy.

ACM and my fearsome branch librarian of the early '50s may be thrashing in their graves at the proliferation of series books on library shelves today, both 'literary' series and those churned out as 'work for hire'
. . . and one can only speculate how they would have dealt with a certain bespectacled wizard. Jo Rowling's genius is that she could combine a thrilling plot line with the style and humor that appeal to all ages - a far cry from the Stratemeyer series (which are actually painful to read as an adult).

Thank you, Leonard, for the brilliant note on which you end MINDERS
(speaking of the Harry Potter phenomenon) - "Children, it seemed, had once again made their choice."

Connie Rockman Editor, Tenth Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators (H. W. Wilson, Fall, 2008)
Received on Thu 31 Jul 2008 06:29:40 AM CDT