First, some background. I write books for teenagers, yes. I also write historical fiction that is aimed at grades 5-8 (but read by all ages), I wrote a series for tweens about kids volunteering in a vet’s clinic, and I write picture books for little kids. I have lost track of the number of times I have met parents whose children (nine and ten-year-olds) have enjoyed one of my books for younger readers, so they pick up SPEAK or another YA title of mine and ask me to sign it for their child. I always ask the parent to read the book first. They appreciate the heads-up.
And then there are people like the lady who insisted on buying SPEAK for her second-grade daughter because the girl was gifted and reading on a 10th-grade level.
::headdesk headdesk::
For years I have been talking to people in publishing, librarians, teachers, booksellers, and other authors trying to figure out a way to alert book buyers and borrowers about books that are better suited for older readers. The age ranges put on books aren’t very helpful – who decides what is right for 13? For 11? For 16? Ask 100 people and you’ll get 103 answers. This can be a very confusing muddle. (Plot summaries don’t help much either. They present a couple of facts, nothing more.)
I think SPEAK is a book for everyone in 7th grade and older (the main character is 14). TWISTED is aimed at the older end of the age bracket (the main character is 18) – it will have the most meaning for kids in 9th grade and older, though I have already heard from 8th graders who really liked it, and who got a lot out of the main character’s struggles.
Hence, The Note. I figure that anyone who is picking up TWISTED for a person that they still consider a ‘child’ (regardless of age) will probably want to wait a while before handing it over, or should read it themselves, first. Anyone buying the book for a ‘teen’ or ‘post-child person’ won’t have a problem with it. My editor came up with the brilliant idea of making The Note look like an RIAA stamp.