There's been a firestorm of articles ever since J.K. Rowling announced that her next book would be for adults. Will it be any good? Can it be any good, given that she writes for children? Um, are we forgetting the fact that a good many adults waited as breathlessly for her "children's" books as any kid? At least this article from Open Salon mentions the primacy of good storytelling, but the one thing that strikes me is that this kind of controversy only erupts when a "children's writer" tries to cross over to the "adult" market. When the opposite happens, no one seems to express doubts that the writer will be able to make the transition successfully. And yet, how many of the adult writers become well-known, well-read children's writers? Name one. I think of Sherman Alexie and his hilarious and heartbreaking Absolutely True Adventures of a Part-Time Indian, which won the National Book Award and I believe was a bestseller and well-loved by readers. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone else - but I'll be the first to admit that my head has been a whirlwind lately owing to family stuff, work, and the attempt to finish my novel in time for the NESCBWI conference.
But my point is that people might wonder why a "real" writer would want to write for children (who apparently aren't "real" people) but they don't doubt that they can. Whereas anyone who's been a successful children's writer (and you can't get more successful than Rowling) is automatically suspect for even thinking of such a thing. Now there are examples of people who have failed at this crossover as well: Stephanie Meyer, for one. R.L. Stine, as the article mentions. I would argue these writers aren't very good writers in the first place. But that doesn't mean anything - there are plenty of "adult" writers who are very popular, and not very good. I won't even begin to list them. No, it's all about lingering prejudice over children's literature, and the people who make it. At least there is some grudging acceptance that there may be some skill involved, but we still have a long way to go.
