The folks on the Adbooks listserv have been talking today about whether How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff is more appropriate for adults than children (YA children). A number of the posters have had experiences with groups of younger readers who didn't care for the book. They were particularly turned off by...well, I don't want to ruin it for anyone.So it seems to me that this book, which I definitely liked, fits my criteria for a Buy A Friend A Book recommendation this time around--a YA book that adults can like.
One of the things I found so interesting about the book was that it hits on so many kidlit traditions--a teen problem book, an idyllic English story, a war story, an invasion story. Maybe playing with all those "tropes" is something adults find more entertaining than kids do. Kids may not have done enough reading yet to recognize that these story lines are classics.
So here's another book to consider giving to an adult next week.
this is my book club book at the moment (i'm trying to convince friends that just because it's a YA book doesn't mean we shouldn't be reading it!). i read it when it first came out, and then re-read over the weekend. still absolutely broke down sobbing at the end. such a beautiful book. everyone should read it. everyone!!
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