Novelish

ISBN: 978-1570615009
Pages: 304 (paperback)
Author: Nancy Pearl

Most of what I could say about this book is also true of Book Lust, which I reviewed last month - the largest difference being that this covers young adult and children’s literature exclusively. Instead of repeating myself, I’ll add a few additional thoughts.

Though Book Crush gave me a few dozen titles which may turn out worthwhile, I was less impressed overall.

I read just about every dragon story I could lay my hands on when I was younger, so YA books featuring dragons is a topic I know a fair bit about. Book Crush’s list of them seemed notably incomplete - Dragons of a Lost Sea (and sequels) and Dragon’s Milk are two books I would consider absolutely essential, yet both were absent.

I didn’t notice any obvious omissions on the other lists, though perhaps because I’m not as familiar with their topics.

Book Crush is sorted by age group, with numerous Book Lust-style book lists within each section. Nancy Pearl surprised me by suggesting parents evaluate several of the books in the teen section due to mature content.

Now, I’m against any sort of censorship - I think people should be able to read anything they want by that age. Even if you disagree with me on that point, though, it still doesn’t make sense: she recommends Gregory Maguire’s Wicked later on without comment. I love Wicked, but it’s marketed as an adult book and several teens I know complained to me about the sex scenes. So why hand out these warnings selectively?

Moving on: many books are suggested specifically for male or female readers, and it seems a little presumptuous to assume someone will like or dislike something based on their gender. (From PW’s January 22nd 2007 issue: “At Books and Co. in Dayton, Ohio, two teenage boys stood in line for an hour and a half to get a pair of jeans signed” by Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants author Ann Brashares.)

I think it’s a good idea to give any type of book a chance - particularly for writers, but really anyone. I’d have thought a librarian of all people would agree. Assuming someone really doesn’t want to read something, don’t they have the intelligence to deduce that for themselves, based on the description? Or at least by browsing some reviews online, which you should probably do before rushing out to order it, anyway.

Then there are recommendations for books that, honestly, I don’t think are worth recommending. Stuff like Eragon (which I disliked) and Just Listen (which I despised) were not only mentioned but praised. While my opinion of those books may be in part a personal one, it doesn’t give me much faith in the other suggestions.