This Telegraph article speaks to the new phenomenon of large numbers of adults reading children’s and young adult books. They offer up two theories of why adults are doing this. First is the sad theory that it is “further proof of an intellectually degraded culture in which magical quest literature is teh new rock’n’roll.” Yikes! But the second theory hits closer to the truth, “that some adults are rejecting the arid pastures of clever-clever, look-at-me contemporary adult fiction”.
I have read books for children and teens for years. I enjoy the clean writing style, the unpretentious language, and the strong narrative line. I enjoy their subject matter more too, where I don’t have to worry about graphic murders and explicit sexual scenes dominating the book. I also find more treasures, more books that will stay with me for years, more worthwhile reading than when I read bestsellers aimed at adults.
But frankly, I don’t know any other adult who reads the books I do. They still don’t know what their missing, and I suppose they would say the same to me. As I tell patrons who complain of a specific book, that’s why the library has to have so many. So everyone can find the book that is right for them and there can be room for those that are right for others.