[HPforGrownups] Re: picture books?

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 728

With HP, on the other hand, I think Neil was asking
>whether it's possible to imagine that Scholastic could edit the last 3
>(arguably 4) books of the series so that all the material is appropriate
>for the 9-12 yr old set.  Right?

That is exactly what I meant, and I agree that it would be very difficult to
achieve.  Perhaps there will be a natural decline in interest among the
youngest stratum of readers as we began to see with GoF, I think.  The
publishers may still think of this from a marketing point of view and Warner
Brothers won't want to be losing the younger audience either.   

Since it's been raised, the idea of a picture book version (or comic book
version) of the Harry Potter books is intriguing, not as a means of
simplifying the books or appealing to young children, but as an alternative
format.  Wasn't this done with "Lord of the Rings" for example?  Imagine
what some of those Japanese cartoonists would do with it.  

>That's why I think the HP books present such a unique situation.  It's
>hard to think of another series where the books start out aimed at (or
>at least appropriate for) a young audience, but get progressively less &
>less appropriate for the same audience as it continues.

I think the media are largely to blame for misinterpreting the books as
children's books *only* from the outset and failing to take on board the
likely development, given the year-by-year progression through Hogwarts.
Okay, I'm generalising, but even when adults have been mentioned in
articles, it's invariably in the context of 'hey, adults like these books
too!'  With GoF, journalists suddenly found themselves questioning the
suitability for young children, as if the change in tone was a bolt from the
blue.  They could have anticipated it, but they seemed to have largely
ignored JKR's own comments on her intentions for the series.  She pays
attention to her younger readers, but she has always been adamant that she
won't tone things down in the later books.  

If in doubt, blame the press!
 
Neil
            Flying-Ford-Anglia

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   "Then, dented, scratched and steaming, 
   the car rumbled off into the darkness, 
   its rear lights blazing angrily"

 [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]

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