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RE: Crossover Books
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From: Nancy Silverrod <nsilverrod_at_sfpl.org>
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:58:10 -0700
I think books more easily cross from adult to teens, or sometimes children than the other way around, as young people's reading skills and interests expand. I think most adults don't expect to find something of interest in the children's or teen sections of a library or bookstore, and there are books that are being overlooked by adults. One that especially comes to mind is "The Book Thief." I have suggested it more than once to our adult city-wide book program. I think trying it as a title for a parent/child book club would help publicize it as a good adult read.
The Harry Potter books seem to have been a big exception to all this, although I wonder how many adults who weren't generally fantasy readers and didn't have children actually read them.
Nancy Silverrod, Librarian San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin St. San Francisco, CA 94122-4733 nsilverrod_at_sfpl.org 415-557-4417
Our heads are round so that thoughts can change direction. -Francis Picabia, painter and poet (1879-1953)
Our memories are card indexes consulted and then returned in disorder by authorities whom we do not control. -Cyril Connolly, critic and editor (1903-1974)
A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese Proverb
Message-----
From: Megan Schliesman
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 1:32 PM To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Subject:
Crossover Books
Let's turn our attention to the discussion topic for the first part of October: Crossover Books, Part II.
We first visited the topic of crossover books-titles that are marketed to both children and adult audiences, in June 1999. That discussion was inspired in part by the ever-growing popularity of "Harry Potter," which
was already having noticeable crossover appeal. Today, it seems we think
about crossover less in terms of marketing and more in terms of how the lines between children's/young adult and adult literature are not always
easily defined, at least when it comes to appeal. From "The Book Thief" to "American Born Chinese" to "Twilight" and beyond, we'll revisit the topic of "crossover books" in light of the past ten years of publishing
During our discussion in 1999 it was noted that fantasy and science fiction have always been genres that draw readers of all ages to individual titles. (Today, we would no doubt add a particular format-graphic novels/comics to that list.)
It seems the definition of crossover is something that is blurring as much as the books themselves blur the lines between youth and adult titles. Is a crossover book a book published for adults that children/teens find? (In which case, as Kathleen Horning noted in her introduction to the topic in 1999, all books read by children before the
advent of children's pbulishing were crossover books ). (e.g, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon). Is it a children's/ya title that is also claimed by adults (a la "Harry Potter,"
"Twilight," and others). What about books whose publishing histories vary? Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief" was published for adults in Australia, for young adults here.
We invite your thoughts about books from both sides of the crossover street.
Megan //
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:58:10 -0700
I think books more easily cross from adult to teens, or sometimes children than the other way around, as young people's reading skills and interests expand. I think most adults don't expect to find something of interest in the children's or teen sections of a library or bookstore, and there are books that are being overlooked by adults. One that especially comes to mind is "The Book Thief." I have suggested it more than once to our adult city-wide book program. I think trying it as a title for a parent/child book club would help publicize it as a good adult read.
The Harry Potter books seem to have been a big exception to all this, although I wonder how many adults who weren't generally fantasy readers and didn't have children actually read them.
Nancy Silverrod, Librarian San Francisco Public Library 100 Larkin St. San Francisco, CA 94122-4733 nsilverrod_at_sfpl.org 415-557-4417
Our heads are round so that thoughts can change direction. -Francis Picabia, painter and poet (1879-1953)
Our memories are card indexes consulted and then returned in disorder by authorities whom we do not control. -Cyril Connolly, critic and editor (1903-1974)
A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese Proverb
Message-----
From: Megan Schliesman
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 1:32 PM To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Subject:
Crossover Books
Let's turn our attention to the discussion topic for the first part of October: Crossover Books, Part II.
We first visited the topic of crossover books-titles that are marketed to both children and adult audiences, in June 1999. That discussion was inspired in part by the ever-growing popularity of "Harry Potter," which
was already having noticeable crossover appeal. Today, it seems we think
about crossover less in terms of marketing and more in terms of how the lines between children's/young adult and adult literature are not always
easily defined, at least when it comes to appeal. From "The Book Thief" to "American Born Chinese" to "Twilight" and beyond, we'll revisit the topic of "crossover books" in light of the past ten years of publishing
During our discussion in 1999 it was noted that fantasy and science fiction have always been genres that draw readers of all ages to individual titles. (Today, we would no doubt add a particular format-graphic novels/comics to that list.)
It seems the definition of crossover is something that is blurring as much as the books themselves blur the lines between youth and adult titles. Is a crossover book a book published for adults that children/teens find? (In which case, as Kathleen Horning noted in her introduction to the topic in 1999, all books read by children before the
advent of children's pbulishing were crossover books ). (e.g, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon). Is it a children's/ya title that is also claimed by adults (a la "Harry Potter,"
"Twilight," and others). What about books whose publishing histories vary? Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief" was published for adults in Australia, for young adults here.
We invite your thoughts about books from both sides of the crossover street.
Megan //
Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
---Received on Wed 07 Oct 2009 10:58:10 AM CDT
