Sources: Phil Nel, 785-532-2165, philnel@k-state.edu;
and Karin Westman, 785-532-2190, westmank@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Jennifer Torline, 785-532-0847, jtorline@k-state.edu

Monday, Sept. 20, 2010

SIDEBAR: CHILDREN'S, YOUNG ADULT BOOKS ADULTS MAY ENJOY, TOO

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University children's literature experts Phil Nel and Karin Westman say it should come as no surprise that many books for young adults and children are also popular with adults.

Some books for children and young adults are published and marketed toward both young adult and adult readers, according to Nel and Westman. Nel is a professor of English and director of K-State's children's literature graduate program; Westman is an associate professor and head of K-State's department of English.

Some books for young adults that Nel and Westman say adults may enjoy reading include:

"Feed," M.T. Anderson

"The Hunger Games" series, Suzanne Collins

"The House of the Scorpion," Nancy Farmer

"The Mysterious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time," Mark Haddon

"The Giver," Lois Lowry

"Anne of Green Gables," L.M. Montgomery

"Monster," Walter Dean Myers

"Carver: A Life in Poems," Marilyn Nelson

"The Wee Free Men" and the other books in the "Tiffany Aching" trilogy, Terry Pratchett

"The Golden Compass" and the rest of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, Philip Pullman

"How I Live Now," Meg Rosoff

"Marcello in the Real World," Francisco X. Stork

"The Amulet of Samarkand" and the rest of the "Bartimaeus" trilogy, Jonathan Stroud

"The Book Thief," Markus Zusak

Nel also said some books for children are good reads for adults. He suggests:

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," Lewis Carroll

"The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963," Christopher Paul Curtis

"Inkheart," Cornelia Funke

"Coraline" and "The Graveyard Book," Neil Gaiman

"Time Stops for No Mouse" and the rest of the "Hermux Tantamoq" series, Michael Hoeye

"The Moomintroll" series, Tove Jansson

"Howl's Moving Castle," Diana Wynne Jones

"The Phantom Tollbooth," Norton Juster

"The Magic Pudding," Norman Lindsay

"Saffy's Angel," Hilary McKay

"Winnie-the-Pooh," A.A. Milne

"Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH," Robert C. O'Brien

The "Harry Potter" series, J. K. Rowling

"A Rat's Tale," Tor Seidler

"The Invention of Hugo Cabret," Brian Selznick

"The Hobbit," J. R. R. Tolkien

"The Great Good Thing," Roderick Townley