In a recent NY Times article, Alexandra Alter examined how adult non-fiction authors are redacting their works so as to make it appropriate for younger readers--with the hope that it will foster a love for non-fiction literature, a genre not frequented as often by the YA audience.
While the article does weigh the merits of whether it is a good idea to "waterdown" the reality in which the true nature of events is distorted or stretched to a breaking point actually serves kids well, I look at from the perspective: how can I get a kid who may be interested in such an exciting topic from our human past--especially if it's a 600 page book?
As Bomb author Steve Sheinken said, “Not everybody wants to read about vampires and dystopia,” “Some kids want to read about World War II or spies, and that was an underserved area for young readers.”
Case in point: a student interested in WWII saw that Unbroken is going to be released in the theaters this coming December. When I told him I had ordered the Laura Hillenbrand's Young Adult version he scooped it off the shelf so he could read it before seeing the film with his dad. That way he said he could understand the movie better and compare that version to what he read!
ISN'T THAT WHAT WE WANT THE BOOKS KIDS READ TO DO? TO FOSTER INCREASED CURIOSITY & UNDERSTANDING ABOUT OUR WORLD?
Hillenbrand spent 18 months rewriting her adult novel for the YA audience she remarked,
“The biggest question I had was: How do you deal with really tough material like someone getting beaten up in a P.O.W. camp?” she said. “They (librarians) all said, leave it in, the kids are ready for this.”
See the full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/08/business/media/laura-hillenbrand-jon-meacham-adapt-titles-for-children.html?_r=0
While the article does weigh the merits of whether it is a good idea to "waterdown" the reality in which the true nature of events is distorted or stretched to a breaking point actually serves kids well, I look at from the perspective: how can I get a kid who may be interested in such an exciting topic from our human past--especially if it's a 600 page book?
As Bomb author Steve Sheinken said, “Not everybody wants to read about vampires and dystopia,” “Some kids want to read about World War II or spies, and that was an underserved area for young readers.”
Case in point: a student interested in WWII saw that Unbroken is going to be released in the theaters this coming December. When I told him I had ordered the Laura Hillenbrand's Young Adult version he scooped it off the shelf so he could read it before seeing the film with his dad. That way he said he could understand the movie better and compare that version to what he read!
ISN'T THAT WHAT WE WANT THE BOOKS KIDS READ TO DO? TO FOSTER INCREASED CURIOSITY & UNDERSTANDING ABOUT OUR WORLD?
Hillenbrand spent 18 months rewriting her adult novel for the YA audience she remarked,
“The biggest question I had was: How do you deal with really tough material like someone getting beaten up in a P.O.W. camp?” she said. “They (librarians) all said, leave it in, the kids are ready for this.”
See the full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/08/business/media/laura-hillenbrand-jon-meacham-adapt-titles-for-children.html?_r=0