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When Harry Potter roared into readers’ consciousness back in 1997 we did not realize, at the time, that this “children’s book” would capture the interest of parents as well. There have been many books that cross the generational boundaries and have all members of a household engaged with them, but Harry opened the genre boxes more permanently due to the enormous popularity of the seven volumes of the J.K. Rowlings series.
This series is one of many that we have moved into a new section of the MI Library that we call “multi-gen literature”. We do not have a strong readership of teenagers, and up to now we have housed books of traditional teenage interest in the children or adult fiction sections, based on the depth of content. We prefer to not segregate materials marketed to “young adult readers” by a perception of the age of the readers, but by content. Bringing these books together in a highlighted collection indicates the respect and enjoyment we librarians afford to them. In this case, many are “coming of age”, many are dystopian – both traditional young adult subjects, but many are also concerned with family tragedy, love, and death.
You will find these books on the second floor of the Library, near the graphic novels, both collections framing the south stairway to Balcony 2A. Look for popular series titles such as Twilight and The Hunger Games, as well as classics that continue to stand the test of time: Huckleberry Finn and Little Men.
My all time favorite book in this category is The Giver by Lois Lowry. Winner of the 1994 Newberry Medal for children’s literature, it has been challenged and banned over the years. The unraveling of utopian society is fueled by the (re)discovery and use of memory. Lowry wrote three more books in a loose quartet (Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son) but this book can be read on its own.
Dodger, by Terry Pratchett, is straight from Charles Dickens, and a nice job of re-creation it is. This modern rendition of Dickens’ world will delight readers of all ages. A Kirkus book review called it “drily funny and full of the pathos and wonder of life”.
If you enjoyed the Sex and the City television series you can read about Carrie’s senior year in high school in this fun prequel, The Carrie Diaries, by Candace Bushnell. It comes without her cohorts, which tames down the antics somewhat, but the reader will enjoy watching her fashion sense develop, among other things.
The Winds of Heaven - Judith Clarke
Meet Clementine and Fan in 1952 Australia, in Judith Clarke’s The Winds of Heaven. This is a beautifully written story of two girls who forge a bond in difficult circumstances. Both the well drawn characters and fine writing will capture the reader’s attention.
Summerland, by Michael Chabon, looks like an adult tome: big and heavy, but the story is a delight for all ages. Baseball is the focus, and fun is the game. This is Chabon’s first book for youth, and we hope he does not stop with one. The worst player of all time is only 11, but finds help from an unlikely source.
