And one more -- though this one is in español:
According to El Pais (one of the two major newspapers in Spain):
"Los niños y jóvenes adictos a Internet son los que más libros leen, los que más van a las bibliotecas; los blogueros usan un léxico más rico que el de muchos ensayos e informativos de radio y televisión. Dos afirmaciones contrarias a los anuncios apocalípticos que han acompañado desde su nacimiento a este avance tecnológico que rompió barreras en el tiempo y el espacio."
To translate (more or less):
"The children and teens who are addicted to the Internet are those that read the most books, those that go to the library the most. The bloggers use a language that is more rich than that of many essays and reports on the radio and on Television. These two affirmations are contrary to the apocalyptic predictions that have accompanied the birth of these technological advances that break barriers of time and space. "
Thanks to Literatura infantil y juvenil actual for the link*!
And while we're on the subject of Spain -- for your viewing pleasure (and because I can't bring myself to write two entries in a row without pictures): my favorite city in the whole world...
¡Cadíz!
*And if any of you know of any Spanish blogs on children's or YA lit, can you let me know in the comments?
Just wanted to point out a couple of recent articles about YA literature:
J A very interesting article from the March/April edition of Horn Book about the more "literary" direction that YA lit is taking -- "Redefining the Young Adult Novel". Hunt, the author of the piece, discusses The Book Thief, Octavian Nothing, and This is All as examples of what he refers to as "crossover novels" or novels that bridge the YA/Adult gap.
"These authors make no concessions and no compromises. They do not condescend to their readers, speaking to them as people rather than as teenagers.... These novels read not as history lessons on the Revolutionary War or Nazi Germany, nor as snapshots of the stormy seas of adolescence, but as lessons on humanity, mediations on human nature. They are literature in every sense of the word."
I seriously wanted to stand up and cheer.
L On the other hand -- a recent article from the WSJ seems a little more pessamistic (to say the least): Teen Books are Hot Sellers but the Formula isn't Simple.
I'm still mulling this over, but there's an really interesting discussion going on over at A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy (which is actually where I got both of these articles from), so if you're interested, head on over there.
L And completely unrelated note, I don't generally review adult fiction here, but I spent the entire weekend listening to My Sister's Keeper, and I haven't been so angry with an author in a very long time. I feel completely betrayed by the ending. As an author, how can you do that to readers who have invested that much time and energy and emotion into your book?? Thoughts, anyone?
