When, or if, children and young people get around to reading books they do so for one of only two reasons: as the response to adult (teacher or parental) pressure, or in the expectation of enjoyment. The pleasure principle is therefore of paramount importance to the writers, illustrators and publishers of juvenile literature, many of whom seem not yet to have grasped the fact that they are in a highly competitive market – not with each other, but with all the other primary producers vying for the free time of the young consumer. Today as in no other period of history young people have a bewildering assortment of choices for the hours sandwiched between school and bedtime, and time spent reading a book (which you have to do in school anyway) is time subtracted from sport, telly, video, or any of the multitudinous other well publicised alternatives. A book, therefore, has to be seen as well and truly worth the effort to qualify; and the ones that make it are those with which a young reader can instantly identify, those which offer adventure, comedy, or life experience at the interest and appreciation travel of their intended audience. With these criteria in mind, consider the following:
Older Readers
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