Sources: Phil Nel, 785-532-2165, philnel@k-state.edu;
and Karin Westman, 785-532-2190, westmank@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Jennifer Torline, 785-532-0847, jtorline@k-state.edu

Monday, Sept. 20, 2010

EXPERTS OFFER INSIGHT INTO WHY ADULTS READ YOUNG ADULT AND CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

MANHATTAN — For years, adults have traveled with Alice and experienced her adventures in Wonderland. They have seen a utopian society through the eyes of Jonas in Louis Lowry's &1xbet sports betting ;The Giver,&1xbet sports betting ; and they accompanied Anne Shirley on her imaginative misadventures at Green Gables farm.

It should come as no surprise that more recent young adult and children's literature -- such as Suzanne Collins' &1xbet sports betting ;The Hunger Games&1xbet sports betting ; and Neil Gaiman's &1xbet sports betting ;Coraline&1xbet sports betting ; -- are also popular with adults, said Philip Nel, Kansas State University professor of English and director of the children's literature graduate program.

&1xbet sports betting ;Children's literature is literature,&1xbet sports betting ; Nel said. &1xbet sports betting ;It may be written for people with less height and less vocabulary, but it's still literature.&1xbet sports betting ;

The phenomenon of adults reading literature targeted toward younger readers is nothing new, Nel said. He pointed to Mark Twain's &1xbet sports betting ;The Adventures of Tom Sawyer&1xbet sports betting ; and &1xbet sports betting ;The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,&1xbet sports betting ; which were read by both children and adults when the books were published in the late 19th century.

&1xbet sports betting ;Oh, the Places You'll Go!&1xbet sports betting ; by Dr. Seuss is another successful children's book, he said. It becomes a bestseller every graduation season -- because it is given to adults and not to children.

&1xbet sports betting ;I think if you're writing for children, it's harder because children are more demanding,&1xbet sports betting ; Nel said. &1xbet sports betting ;Adults will read a book even if it's boring after the first 50 pages if the reviews say it’s a good book. I don't think children will. I don't think they should either.&1xbet sports betting ;

Nel said this demanding characteristic of younger readers helps authors create some of the appealing qualities of young adult and children's literature: attention to narrative, a powerful story, a sense of wonder, efficient story-telling and developed and credible characters.

&1xbet sports betting ;I think in some ways literature for children can bring adults back to the pleasures of reading, because literature for children is much more connected to and invested in the pleasure of reading,&1xbet sports betting ; Nel said.

&1xbet sports betting ;Literature for young readers frequently offers an interesting plot with compelling characters -- features that attract older readers who also enjoy a good story,&1xbet sports betting ; said Karin Westman, associate professor and head of the department of English. &1xbet sports betting ;Literature for younger readers often tackles larger cultural issues through personal stories, and older readers may like the opportunity to think about the world in those terms.&1xbet sports betting ;

Sometimes young adult and children's books are published and marketed to both young adult and adult readers, Nel and Westman said. Mark Haddon's &1xbet sports betting ;The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time&1xbet sports betting ; and Collins' &1xbet sports betting ;The Hunger Games&1xbet sports betting ; series are two successfully marketed examples.

Even the Harry Potter books were marketed to both young adults and adults in the United Kingdom. When &1xbet sports betting ;Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone&1xbet sports betting ; was published, the adult cover had a black and white train on the cover to give it a more grown-up look, rather than the colorful illustration on the children's book. Eventually, the books became so famous that the adult covers didn’t matter, according to Nel and Westman.

But it's more than just a marketing tactic that makes young adult literature so popular. It's the talent of authors, such as J.K. Rowling, Lewis Carroll and L.M. Montgomery, to create a good story told well, Nel said, who added he thinks it's silly for people to express surprise at the popularity of young adult books among adults.

&1xbet sports betting ;It's not the 'dumbing-down' of America,&1xbet sports betting ; Nel said. &1xbet sports betting ;Children's literature is always read by adults. They write it, edit it, market it, sell the manuscript for it. Children's literature is universal.

&1xbet sports betting ;One should be surprised that grown-ups don't read more of it because it is the most important literature you'll read,&1xbet sports betting ; Nel said. &1xbet sports betting ;These are the books that you read when you're still in the process of figuring out who you are.&1xbet sports betting ;