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Harry Potter

One more part of "Wild Things" I loved: the Harry Potter discussion. (Because who doesn't love thinking about Harry Potter?)

Sieruta et al. point out: Harry Potter changed the shape of the NY Times. "Sorcerer's Stone" remained the number-one bestseller for ages. Finally, the NYT created a separate "children's fiction" list, so an "adult" book had a shot at topping the Times list (or at least *one* Times list) yet again.

The success of Harry Potter taught writers that kids would read kids' books, AND ALSO *adults* would read kids' books. Two markets, one book. So Grisham began writing "for kids." And James Patterson started, as well. (I wonder if Maile Meloy had the "two markets" thought when she started her "Apprentice/Apothecary" series.)

J.K. Rowling doesn't live in the United States--so my understanding is that she wouldn't ever be up for a Newbery. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) That said, Beverly Cleary *is* an American, and note that not one--not one!--Ramona novel has won a Newbery Medal. Ramona is empty-handed! (Cleary did win for a non-Ramona book.) There is some murmuring that the Newbery committee has a bias against "series" novels. Perhaps.

One last "Harry" observation: kids' books are often very long, these days, in response to the Potter phenomenon. One example: "Octavian Nothing." And the "Twilight" novels. And Leigh Bardugo seems to like bricklayer proportions, also.
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