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When the first JK Rowling book came out, it wasn't only children who were enthralled. Commuters all over Britain were seen furtively reading Harry Potter, hoping nobody would notice they were immersed in a children's book. The publishers took note and came to the rescue: they printed a separate edition with a different cover for adults. This was the first time in publishing history that a children's book was reprinted especially for the adult market. The crossover book was born.
Many people regard Philip Pullman as the grand master of fantasy. His Dark Materials trilogy - Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass (Scholastic, $17.99) - is a perfect example of children's books that are also devoured by adults. In fact, The Amber Spyglass was the first children's book ever to win the Whitbread Prize, an award usually reserved for adult books.
Pullman tells multi-layered stories which mix science, theology and magic while challenging our ideas of right and wrong. He has purposely shunned the simplistic view of the world that divides people into goodies and baddies. As he says, "No one is purely good or purely evil and thinking of people like that is unhelpful. I would much rather we thought in terms of good actions, bad actions. Firstly, it's true to life, and secondly, it's more interesting when someone we think is trustworthy turns out to have feet of clay, or when someone who has been cruel turns out to be moved by love and self-sacrifice".
Like other successful crossover books, Pullman's trilogy can be read on many different levels. Adults can appreciate nuances and references that elude younger readers.
Set in Stone by Linda Newbury, won the Costa Children's Book Award last year. It is an extremely accomplished, verging-on-the-Gothic mystery, written in an archaic Victorian style.
Samuel Godwin, an artist, is asked to go and live in a beautiful mansion, Fourwinds, to tutor the two daughters of wealthy Ernest Farrow. All is not what it seems, and Samuel is drawn into a web of deception. Deep secrets are revealed and lives are at risk.
As I read this novel I felt strongly that, with its challenging vocabulary and absence of young protagonists, it would be a much more satisfying read for adults than for teenagers. The surprise for me is that Set in Stone was ever deemed a children's book, and now that it has been reissued, with a new cover for general release (Random House, $26.99) it will gain the wider readership that it deserves.
When Markus Zusak wrote The Book Thief (Macmillan, $37.95) he had no particular age group in mind. After working on it for three years, he handed it to the publishers and let them decide where it should sit on the shelves. Interestingly, it has been marketed in different ways in different countries. "In Australia it was released for adults, in America, Italy and Russia for young adults and in the UK and Brazil for both adults and young adults.'
The Book Thief has an unlikely narrator, Death. But there is nothing overly sinister about this soul snatcher. He complains about being overworked, and in Munich in 1943, there is much to do. He meets Liesel, a 14-year-old girl, at her brother's graveyard and watches her pick an abandoned book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, out of the snow. Death is intrigued and follows this lost little girl.
Liesel learns to read from her accordion-playing foster father and discovers the thrill of stealing books. When a Jewish man, Max, hides in the basement of her house, a bond is forged through a mutual love of books.
Notwithstanding the difficult times it portrays, The Book Thief is a joyful read for all ages.
Elizabeth Knox had written several novels for adults before embarking on her first young adult novel, the hauntingly imaginative Dreamhunter (HarperCollins $24.99). "When I set out writing Dreamhunter I was having a go at writing the sort of book for young adults that I've enjoyed reading as an adult.' So how does writing for a younger person differ from writing for adults? "The main difference for me is that in young adult fiction it is more important to let the reader know what the protagonists are thinking and feeling. There is as little distance as possible between the reader and the characters.'
Dreamhunter won the 2006 Esther Glen Award and the judging panel were full of praise. "Few writers can make the transition from the extravagances of writing for adults to the conciseness necessary when writing for children and young adults, yet Elizabeth Knox has achieved this with Dreamhunter.'
Laura and Rose, two 15-year-old cousins, come from a family of dream hunters. They are about to undergo a test to find out whether they are among the chosen few with the gift of catching dreams.
Why did the publishers decide to market Dreamhunter and its sequel Dreamquake for both the young adult and adult market?
Lorain Day from HarperCollins says "Firstly, Elizabeth has a significant readership as an adult writer; secondly, these books display good writing, strong plot and strong characters which make them perfect for both markets.'
It's also not uncommon for adult books to "cross down' and find a younger readership. A recent case in point is Ripples on the Lake (HarperCollins $26.99) by first-time novelist Dawn Rotarangi. She is delighted that her paranormal thriller is being pounced on by teenagers as well as her target audience.
- Detours, HoS
