Thursday, January 6, 2011

In Case You Missed It!

In The Huffington Post

"I Read a Young Adult Novel. It Was Better Written and More Exciting Than Most Adult Fiction I See"
by Jeff Kornbluth   

"It started with Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project. She loved reading children's books and wondered if other adults did too. Very much, in fact. The Wall Street Journal reports that Rubin now has three Kidlit groups in New York, and many of the members are extremely respectable members of the publishing community who really seem to get off on Young Adult (YA) fiction. 
 
So I thought I'd have what they're having. 

I chose If I Stay, published in 2009, mostly because it is a monster success -- already available in 30 languages, sold to Hollywood. And on its website almost 1,900 readers have commented on Gayle Forman's genius and the book's gut-wrenching, life-changing appeal.
I rolled through 230 big-print, nicely spaced pages in a few hours. The novel pressed every emotional button I'm aware of. At the end, I was a mess -- limp, to be sure, but also thrilled, energized, renewed.