Take a photo of a barcode or cover
linn1378 's review for:
Peter and Wendy
by J.M. Barrie
According to Wikipedia, before The Catcher in the Rye (1951), YA and middle-grade fiction had not been a thing. Actually, The Catcher in the Rye was originally written for adults. It surprised everyone that troubled teens devoured it. The first novel that actually called itself YA didn't come along until 1967, The Outsiders, written by 16-year-old Susan Hinton.
So at the beginning of the 20th century, there were really only two kinds of books: books to be read, and books to be read to children. Examples in the second category are Alice in Wonderland (1865), Treasure Island (1879), and Peter and Wendy (1911).
Some of those read-aloud stories are great stories. But Peter and Wendy is written in the same condescending tone the school librarian used during story hour. I feel like I'm being read to, and that I'm being told the facts of life: that girls only want to be mothers and that boys never want to grow up.
So at the beginning of the 20th century, there were really only two kinds of books: books to be read, and books to be read to children. Examples in the second category are Alice in Wonderland (1865), Treasure Island (1879), and Peter and Wendy (1911).
Some of those read-aloud stories are great stories. But Peter and Wendy is written in the same condescending tone the school librarian used during story hour. I feel like I'm being read to, and that I'm being told the facts of life: that girls only want to be mothers and that boys never want to grow up.