CCBC-Net Archives
RE: Crossover Books
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From: Barbara A. Genco <bagencoconsulting_at_gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:46:30 -0400
Many of Bruce Brooks early books could have easily been published 'on the adult side' of the house. I am thinking (most particularly) of his MOVES MAKE THE MAN (c1987) and later NO KIDDING (c1989). bg
Barbara A. Genco
Editor, Collection Management, Library Journal
Consulting~Seeking Creative Solutions
170 Prospect Park West #2R
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718.499.8750
347.238.6384 Mobile
BAGencoConsulting_at_Gmail.com
www.libraryjournal.com
"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan and not quite enough time." Leonard Bernstein
From: Ani Chamichian
Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 2:06 PM To: ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Subject: Re:
Crossover Books
I am writing here as a civilian who has spent my adult life in book publishing.
As a teen, I had graduated from YA's by the time I got to high school. But then the YA's of my era were nothing like the YA's now. Go Ask Alice was one of the books that changed that. Many women in my circle read YAs. I confess to being surprised when I first discovered this but they tell me they find the books very satisfying. Which may say more about 'adult' fiction than it does about YA fiction.
Ani Chamichian Frances Lincoln LLC 749 Guerrero San Francisco, CA 94110 415 647 1812
Message-----
From: Nancy Silverrod To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Sent: Wed, Oct 7, 2009 10:58 am Subject: RE:
Crossover Books
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
//
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:46:30 -0400
Many of Bruce Brooks early books could have easily been published 'on the adult side' of the house. I am thinking (most particularly) of his MOVES MAKE THE MAN (c1987) and later NO KIDDING (c1989). bg
Barbara A. Genco
Editor, Collection Management, Library Journal
Consulting~Seeking Creative Solutions
170 Prospect Park West #2R
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718.499.8750
347.238.6384 Mobile
BAGencoConsulting_at_Gmail.com
www.libraryjournal.com
"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan and not quite enough time." Leonard Bernstein
From: Ani Chamichian
Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 2:06 PM To: ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu Subject: Re:
Crossover Books
I am writing here as a civilian who has spent my adult life in book publishing.
As a teen, I had graduated from YA's by the time I got to high school. But then the YA's of my era were nothing like the YA's now. Go Ask Alice was one of the books that changed that. Many women in my circle read YAs. I confess to being surprised when I first discovered this but they tell me they find the books very satisfying. Which may say more about 'adult' fiction than it does about YA fiction.
Ani Chamichian Frances Lincoln LLC 749 Guerrero San Francisco, CA 94110 415 647 1812
Message-----
From: Nancy Silverrod To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Sent: Wed, Oct 7, 2009 10:58 am Subject: RE:
Crossover Books
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 02:46:30 PM CDT
