tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post7338985431232172991..comments2024-03-23T12:38:46.260+00:00Comments on The History Girls: From Anne Frank to War Horse: children's historical books sell! - Katherine RobertsMary Hoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06241989732624913706noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-11383727221159296682013-03-12T18:59:17.688+00:002013-03-12T18:59:17.688+00:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05067599239192666739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-22789165438644584592013-03-09T16:23:19.208+00:002013-03-09T16:23:19.208+00:00PS Yes, Anne R, I did think Mice and Men was stret...PS Yes, Anne R, I did think Mice and Men was stretching the historical slightly... but that's another interesting blurred line between historical and contemporary fiction. I know many people these days consider the 1970's (when I was growing up) to be history, so if I set a book in my childhood it would presumably count as historical fiction to them? That does make me feel old! Katherine Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-84557006561422112842013-03-09T16:15:20.383+00:002013-03-09T16:15:20.383+00:00What a lot of interesting comments to find on my r...What a lot of interesting comments to find on my return! Thank you everyone for contributing to the discussion, and thanks also to Katherine Langrish for using her admin powers to change the "fiction" part of my post title... although now I'm back from my tour, I am tempted to defend my choice of the word.<br /><br />I think there is a blurred line between fiction and fact in historical books, and that any attempt to dramatise history brings it under the fiction umbrella, even if only under the edge of it. For example, pretty much anything religious falls into this blurred area - I wonder how many people would count the Bible as pure fact these days? Yet calling the Bible fiction would certainly provoke attack from some quarters.<br /><br />Ashley's comment made me think, though. With such blurred boundaries between fiction and fact, I wonder how many of the children who read Anne Frank are aware of the difference between that one and the purely fictional diaries out there, such as the Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (that one counts as fiction, presumably?!) In a similar vein, I've just been talking about the Arthurian legends in schools, and most of the children at that age (Years 6 and 7) seem to think that the well-known tales of King Arthur are real history, rather than stories based loosely on history.<br /><br />This is obviously where a good school librarian or children's bookseller triumphs over amazon's algorithms - and I'm really pleased to hear Years 5/6 are snatching historical fiction out of your hands, mefinx! Hmmm, I'd better get on with that new project...Katherine Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-50293971735441314522013-03-08T08:30:01.147+00:002013-03-08T08:30:01.147+00:00There's quite a bit of evidence emerging which...There's quite a bit of evidence emerging which iindicates that there's a sizeable market for young adult books among middle-aged women :) Responding to this trend is a rise in books categorised "new adult" (godawful twee label imo and used in the past for authors like Stephanie Plowman). The aim is to attract older teenage readers through to just plain older readers - what we've always though of as cross-over fiction.<br /><br />One point worth considering is that while girls will happily read books with either a male or female protagonist, boys generally relate much better to stories with a male hero. May not suit current gender ideology, but that's just the way it is. Vive la différence and all that...Annishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02367569632016734415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-56311042809676356362013-03-08T08:03:47.905+00:002013-03-08T08:03:47.905+00:00A few thoughts based on my experience as a primary...A few thoughts based on my experience as a primary school librarian:<br /><br />I find the My Story series by Scholastic is very popular. These are technically fiction but almost always filed as NF since they are marketed to support the curriculum - they are, however, well written and an excellent bridge into what you might term "pure" historical fiction. The ones with a military background are particularly useful for introducing boys to what is often perceived as a very feminine genre.<br /><br />Caroline Lawrence et al are introducing the form of the crime series to historical fiction - I find that the Lady Grace Cavendish series based in the Elizabethan Court has a very enthusiastic following.<br /><br />Like anything in the children's fiction market these days, a direct link to the curriculum provides lift, this being particularly true of Tudor books. The Victorians are also rising in popularity - I was surprised to find many children asking for Bernie Doherty's "Street Child".<br /><br />I make a point of including fiction in the topic collections I make up for classes, and as a result I have a hardcore group of Y5/6 children who almost snatch new historical titles out of my hands when they appear.<br /><br />Incidentally, has anyone noticed Jacqueline Wilson's increasing tendency towards historical fiction (though I bet it isn't labelled as such). As well as the Hetty Feather trilogy, her latest "Queenie" is set in 1953.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-72022158792355332262013-03-06T21:20:42.401+00:002013-03-06T21:20:42.401+00:00Great piece, Katherine! And thanks for mentioning ...Great piece, Katherine! And thanks for mentioning my Western Mysteries, now re-branded the P.K. Pinkerton Mysteries! <br /><br />Sue, I agree with you: the cover is so important. One fab historical fiction YA book is Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter. It has a superb cover of which I am very jealous! :-)Caroline Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07249424644829463560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-54826803769297439032013-03-06T20:45:33.290+00:002013-03-06T20:45:33.290+00:00My day job is as a teacher librarian. I find that ...My day job is as a teacher librarian. I find that historical FANTASY works, but historical fiction depends on the cover. For example, a few years ago, there was a sudden interest in Rosemary Sutcliff, based on the snazzy new cover of Mark Of The Horse Lord. I had only some old, battered(hence loved at one time) copies of her other books, but had to go hunting for the Eagle series, which had, I suspect, only been reprinted because of the movie. But the kids at my school do go for Holocaust era fiction, such as Morris Gleitzman's wonderful series. Not sure why, in particular, as none of them has ever met anyone Jewish except me. But that's what they ask for, bless them. I think it's right to say adults do the buying, but in a library it's up to the kids. They do enjoy true history, if it's quirky.Sue Bursztynskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09362273418897882971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-55938014866099257562013-03-06T19:35:45.539+00:002013-03-06T19:35:45.539+00:00I'd like to thank you for responding quickly t...I'd like to thank you for responding quickly to my quibble with the title and text- I see that it has been altered accordingly.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03372895228742826182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-50460533876577676142013-03-06T14:09:51.231+00:002013-03-06T14:09:51.231+00:00I wonder if the analysis should also consider who ...I wonder if the analysis should also consider who buys children and YA books. I suspect many purchases are made by the adults in their lives - which could skew the results. Just a thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-84568055611415169692013-03-06T10:15:17.569+00:002013-03-06T10:15:17.569+00:00Another Amazon bad - Of Mice and Men is not really...Another Amazon bad - Of Mice and Men is not really historical fiction either. It was pubilshed in 1937 and is about the author's experiences inthe 1920s, so no more historical than if I published a book now that was set in 2002. <br /><br />Unfortunately, looking at historical bestseller lists tells you nothing anyway as it doesn't show how many books are sold and there will always be bestsellers in a category, even if that category does really badly. If War Horse sold two copies, but everything else sold only one, it would still be the bestseller in the category.Stroppy Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16560035800075465845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-5383026044498630582013-03-06T09:58:19.478+00:002013-03-06T09:58:19.478+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Katherine Langrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529700103932422873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-61084772379169222882013-03-06T09:58:14.871+00:002013-03-06T09:58:14.871+00:00'thing' - not 'think' - dang it.'thing' - not 'think' - dang it.Katherine Langrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529700103932422873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-44115076534247648512013-03-06T09:57:13.701+00:002013-03-06T09:57:13.701+00:00Dear Ashley,
As Katherine Roberts is away, I'm...Dear Ashley,<br />As Katherine Roberts is away, I'm responding in her absence as a History Girls' admin: the suggestion that Anne Frank's Diary might be 'fiction' was an unfortunate and unintentional error, and it's now been corrected. Thankyou very much for pointing it out! What a good think we have sharp-eyed readers...<br /> Katherine Langrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12529700103932422873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-73333982460940471572013-03-06T09:46:32.636+00:002013-03-06T09:46:32.636+00:00Thanks for a most interesting blog, Katherine. All...Thanks for a most interesting blog, Katherine. All I can say is that I'm delighted to be a writer of historical fiction and pleased to say that Run Rabbit Run (WW2/pubished 2011) has won several awards when in competition with other genres of fiction. More importantly the awards were given as a results of children's votes. Though Michael Morpurgo may be riding high, I did manage to beat him to the winning post for the Young Quills Award given by the Historical Association. Road to London (Tudors, published 2012)is also coming along in the nomination stakes in spite of competition from fantasy,dystopia etc.<br />All this puffing out of chest is just to say that writing historical fiction most certainly has appeal to children, bringing history alive and hopefully sowing the seeds for a life-long love of the subject.<br />I believe children's historical fiction will be the next big thing. Fingers crossed!Barbara Mitchelhillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13734925180944991388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-73125108328350512352013-03-06T09:31:17.382+00:002013-03-06T09:31:17.382+00:00The reasons why books do well are shrouded in myst...The reasons why books do well are shrouded in mystery and we who seek to unravel that are on a hiding to nothing. I reckon Kath has got it right with Number 5! Write a damn good story. That is a start but no guarantee whatsoever. Have a good time on your tour, Kath and I hope the Pendragon series ends up selling loads.<br /><br />And I have to say, I agree about the 'Anne Frank' and fiction thing..Amazon's bad, I reckon.adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826710558292792068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5502671101756463249.post-91630664429579541922013-03-06T08:58:41.936+00:002013-03-06T08:58:41.936+00:00Can I be slightly crabbit? I disagree strongly wit...Can I be slightly crabbit? I disagree strongly with the choice to refer to Anne Frank's Diary as 'historical fiction' in the title of the post. <br /><br />I realise, as will anyone who reads the post, that this is in response to what Amazon's search algorithm supplies for 'children's historical fiction', but to include Anne Frank on the edited list presented on the blog (and in the title) seems a bit careless.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03372895228742826182noreply@blogger.com