I walked the corridors of schools throughout Fox Cities wishing I'd written more books, wishing, especially, that I'd written the right books for young male readers. They were so eager, so embracing, in the schools I visited—the first to raise their hands, the first to offer to read their work aloud (which is not to suggest that the girls weren't just as eager, in their own ways; the girls were remarkable, too). One seventh grader ran behind me as I finished my morning here, to follow-up on a question he'd asked during the assembly. Another wrote his idea for a book onto a bookmark, and shared it with me, saying, "This is the story that must be written."
I've had two ideas for boy-protagonist young adult books, but I've not yet gotten them to work.
I came home determined to try even harder.
5 comments:
I hope you find a way to make it work. I don't see thoughtful YA books for boys (or I'm just not looking in the right places).
Oh Beth, I do hope you find a way to reach young boys with your wonderful words and stories. I see a huge gap for boys at the elementary school level.
For us, there was nothing that really captured my son's heart until he was a strong enough reader to embrace the Nate the Great series of mysteries. He's moved on from there, but those early years, learning to read, where were the books to draw him in??
Inspiring!
Sounds wonderful - I can't wait to hear more about these books!
Beth, you make a great point. My teen nephews could sure use some new reading material.
Your comment got me thinking about a book I just finished for young adults titled Her Mother's Diary by David Curry Kahn. It's suggested for young adult readers, but I found it equally engaging as an older adult (with inner teen tendencies!) As I finished it, I found myself thinking, "How could a man write from this young girl's perspective so well? I imagine I'll be saying the same thing (in reverse gender) about your next book for young men. :-) Best wishes. Kate
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