Children's Books

I find Terry Pratchett's "kids'" books to be far more thoughtful and high-quality than his "adult" ones.

I admit that I like reading kids' books... but I hate people knowing about it, so I often just don't. 8-(

^^ If that tease doesn't pay off...

I love reading children's books, but around school I was known for reading the more serious/mature "classics". It tends to catch people by surprise when I list my favorite series as Animorphs or my favorite book as The Last Of The Really Great Whangdoodles.

(I function as my dad's literary coordinator for international trips and I often recommend children's books to him too.)

I get the feeling that a lot of kids books are ones that I would have enjoyed more if I'd read them as a kid. I am still on the look out for a good YA read, however.

Depends of the reputation of the quality of the kids series. As long as its not too kiddy, I like YA series that can be enjoyable for both kids and adults like harry potter.

edited 13th May '10 2:33:14 PM by BlackKing

I shall always love Emily Rodda's Deltora Quest books. Still have yet to get the Deltoran monster book and Doran the Dragonlover's tour guide/diary.

Plus, it got dragons.

I still remember most of the kids books I read as a kid, and like the stories, so really, it's not that much of a stretch to read new ones.

Actually I re-read some of the books I liked as a kid, and at first they seemed a lot flatter than they did before. I blame Doorstoppers for doing this to my perception and now it almost takes a conscious effort for me to read shorter books slowly to appreciate them properly.

I actually consider many kids books concise. Really when you consider that most of them would fill a decent timeslot if they were adapted to live-action, this isn't a far-fetched point of view.

^ I prefer Rowan of Rin, but Emily Rodda is a decent writer and she comes up with some pretty unique fantasy worlds.

edited 14th May '10 10:54:09 PM by the1ultimate

^ But the best children's literature is stuff that just gets deeper the more you reread it. I'd nominate Lois Lowry's The Giver for that (though not its sequels; its sequels really just didn't fit, in my opinion) and L.M. Montgomery's books. I'm rereading Emily of New Moon right now, for what's probably the fifth time.

(Oh, yes, another favorite I forgot to mention - Holes.)

YMMV.

Personally I'm far to wary of Anvils and Author Filibusters.

It's often safer to pick up a simple fantasy, and anyway the only thing that makes a bad work is dullness and slog.

edited 15th May '10 1:39:33 AM by the1ultimate

Roald Dahl. I have read the BFG several times. It's my favorite children's book. Also I still love Captain Underpants.

You know sometimes I would like to pick up Tamora Pierce or Terry Pratchett's kids books but I am stopped by one problem. I don't want to go through that section of the bookstore and risk getting a weird look from the cashier.

I know, I know I'm failing at the nerd tradition of failing to care what total strangers think of you.

Wouldn't stop me, since I usually just order books online.

@ the1ultimate: I enjoyed the Rowan Of Rin books, too. I like how Rodda managed to think up good prophecies, just like her various puzzles in the Deltora Quest series and Finder Keeper's riddles.

Now, I also got her new series, the Rondo books, which is a nice romp through a fairy tales-inspired land. But I always have a fond preference for Deltora Quest.

Read the Discworld kids books and loved them. Currently eagerly awaiting the next Tiffany Aching book.

EDIT: Well, except for Where's My Cow since I can't find it around here. <<;

edited 16th May '10 1:41:11 AM by Servbot

^ Alkthash, I say use the library. The people there don't give you weird looks. Possibly because it's less of a commitment. (That's why I love libraries in the first place.)

And yes, I love Tiffany Aching. My first Discworld book ever was A Hat Full of Sky. I was quite surprised when I finally read Hogfather, I tell you.

My favorite Roald Dahl is Danny the Champion of the World.

What I like about kids' books is many things.

For one, the stories are pretty simple and tend not to get too much drama in the way. I'm not against life drama; in fact, life drama elements make the characters more human, and are what make Nothings Fair In Fifth Grade (which is Slice of Life and life drama through-and-through) so damn good.

But I don't care for the type of drama found in books for older ages.

Also, as a teen, I never really did the things teens "do". I wasn't that social. As a kid, I hung out with other kids, we went to each other's houses, and so on, but as a teen, I wasn't actively involved in their social scene. I can't relate to teen characters that well. At least not the things they do. Emotionally, I can understand where they're coming from, since I was a teen also, but I can't relate to their lifestyles. I can relate to kids and adults (to a lesser extent), but not teens, because I just didn't live like one.

Kids' books are also not afraid to be unrealistic in a fun way. Compare Goosebumps vs. Fear Street. Yeah, they're both lame looking back, but still, Goosebumps had more variety to its plots, while Fear Street's plots were either realistic, or recycled the same types of supernatural horror without really varying them like Goosebumps did.

Kids' books are also more light-hearted, even when they're serious. In general, at least. I know books for older audiences exist that are also that way, but still, kid books seem to have this as a rule.

Finally, as my preferred genres are adventure, suspense, and Slice of Life, there's just certain things kids can do that adults can't, and vice versa. This results in a large number of adventurous plots in which getting caught and getting in trouble is an added layer of suspense. The plot of Pyrates involves fifth graders engaging in underground tunnel and cave exploration, trying to piece clues together, and having to avoid rival treasure seekers and kidnappers, in addition to not being discovered by their parents. Adults could do their job more easily, which is therefore less fun to me. With kids, a plot like that really shines.

I just never could get into adult books, period. It's so strange. But what the heck.

What are your reasons for enjoying kids' books, or outright preferring them, for those of you who do?

Well, there's one good thing I have to say in favor of children's books: when they're fantasy, they needn't go halfway. A fantasy story for adults is very likely to be a bog-standard Medieval European Fantasy, pre-digested and spat back out like a thousand books before it. Children's fantasy can go completely down the rabbit hole, daring to invent new worlds with new inhabitants that aren't simple elves and orcs. I don't entirely get why this happens—maybe children are just better at Willing Suspension of Disbelief? Regardless, I can't help but feel that "mature" writers could learn something from children's fantasy.

I read Emily Rodda's Deltora series still. I grew up with it and have loved it even up to now. I'm reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH right now.

@ CDRW: The Unicorn Chronicles now a bluelink.

I don't know - modern-day literature for adults always seems to take itself so seriously. And it feels like it needs to have violence, or swearing, or sex, or a lot of "issues" with the main characters, to be taken seriously. Children's literature has a sincerity to it, when it's done out of love (and there are no Author Tract s).

Maybe with me it's just a perpetual cycle: I love a lot of children's literature books, so I'll read more of them, and I'll find more that I love, and my interest in adult lit will decrease, so I'll keep reading children's books, because I love them, and...

But you know, that's not half-bad.

And it feels like it needs to have violence, or swearing, or sex, or a lot of "issues" with the main characters, to be taken seriously. Children's literature has a sincerity to it, when it's done out of love (and there are no Author Tracts).

No kidding!! When R L Stine wrote a horror book for adults, Superstitious, my grandmother said, "well, it certainly has a lot of cursing in it!" Stine himself said that people didn't take it seriously, and maybe they shouldn't have.

I'm not anti-swearing, anti-violence and so on. I've seen plenty of R-rated movies, as well as PG-rated ones, but it does seem like kids' books are more focused on just telling the story and not on screwing around and being "mature". In fact, I've gotten annoyed at times when a curse word was put in a kids' book and it feels out of place.

Though I've seen swearing in some kids' books used to maximum effect, essentially used as a Precision F-Strike.

Well, there's one good thing I have to say in favor of children's books: when they're fantasy, they needn't go halfway. A fantasy story for adults is very likely to be a bog-standard Medieval European Fantasy, pre-digested and spat back out like a thousand books before it. Children's fantasy can go completely down the rabbit hole, daring to invent new worlds with new inhabitants that aren't simple elves and orcs. I don't entirely get why this happens—maybe children are just better at Willing Suspension Of Disbelief? Regardless, I can't help but feel that "mature" writers could learn something from children's fantasy.

Quoted for the bloody truth!

Anyway, I will admit to being a big kid's book reader. I added pages for Septimus Heap, Fablehaven, The Candy Shop War, Wizard's Hall, and I'm sure I'm missing some.  ^*

I just got done reading Fly By Night. Fascinating little book; great prose; got very, very weird at the end. I have to say though, the coffee shop battle was awesome.

edited 17th May '10 12:37:34 AM by FreezairForALimitedTime

@ melloncollie. Thanks!

Yeah, I do. I've read through all of Darren Shan's kids books. He knows how to use swearing for effect: through his vampire series, the swearing is pretty much kept to a minimum, except for a few moments where it's appropriate.

Also, the Warriors series. While the main character is a bit of a Mary Sue, the books are still good. Plus, kitties!