Not Just for Children

"Adults can't get enough of Tolkien, Rowling and now Philip Pullman. Are we immature—or is 'kids' stuff' simply better entertainment?"


I hope that the Tolkien fans alone will take umbrage at this statement. Tolkien's and Pullman's trilogies are not children's books: they are grown-up books that appeal to children. Rowling's earlier books are children's books, but the series falls into the young adult category now. In the end, it comes down to marketing.

This much is true: children like strong narrative in their stories and are less tolerant of frilly "bridge passages" than adults. Perhaps, this is why, for many young adults, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the first assigned novels in high school that they actually enjoy reading. (And yet there are no elves!)