Morris Publishing Australia
  • Home Page
  • OUR AUTHORS
  • THE BOOK SHOP
  • ORDERS PAGE
  • QLD AUTHOR WORKSHOPS AND TALKS
  • Contact
  • Submissions
  • Submissions Terms and Conditions
  • News Update Blog

The Girl in the Basement blog competition winner

7/10/2013

4 Comments

 
Picture
The winner of our competition was Teena Raffa-Mulligan. I not surprised that Teena's name came out. She had commented on many of the blog posts so had more than one entry in the draw.

YA or adult ... that was my dilemma


This post is receiving attention from all over the world. The opinion seems to be that it is an adult novel. If you haven't voted yet, have a look at chapter one on the book's page on this site and tell me what you think.

When I first read this exciting thriller, I pondered the category it fitted. YA or adult? I spoke to my adult assessment readers about it and they said it was way too scary for early teens.

I then went to the parents of early teens to see what they thought. Most said they would welcome the chance for their teens to read something that would make them think more about their safety. So I capitulated and agreed to tag it YA, but really it is a cross-over novel, as many YA novels are, and will be enjoyed by adults as well.  

I asked a 15 year-old girl who is part of my writers and readers group to read and review the book. This is her opinion:

"The Girl in the Basement" by Dianne Bates is a memorable story that stays with you
long after you read it. The novel follows the main character, Libby, as she is abducted by a psychopath. Libby, however, has other ideas.

The characters are well developed and believable, almost jumping out from between the pages. Libby and her kidnapper share an odd relationship, but the
kidnapper's two sided personality will keep the reader guessing what he will do  next.

Chapter 1 grabs attention from the first word, and the rest of the book does not disappoint. A simple but suspenseful plot keeps you on edge, and the suspense builds with every turn of the page as Libby becomes more and more in danger and the stakes are raised.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book although the eerie theme is sometimes heartbreaking. The strong characters, well written plot and suspense keeps the pages turning long into the night.

Callie Omlid 15 years.

She did say she wished she hadn't read it at night though. :)

Read and enjoy.

4 Comments
teena Raffa-Mulligan link
7/10/2013 10:26:02 am

My teen years are now ancient history but I regularly read and enjoy YA novels. A well-written novel crafted by a skilled story teller will always have universal appeal. I also think we're often too protective of younger readers. Callie's review is all the proof you need that YA readers can cope with the subject matter of Di's book - though I can certainly relate to her comment that late-night reading wasn't ideal.

Reply
Elaine link
7/10/2013 10:53:48 am

Thanks for the comment, Tina. I think you're right. Kids can cope with a lot more than we could at there age. I think it is to do with the movies and video games they watch and play. At least in a book the images aren't as graphic.

Reply
Robin Leigh Morgan link
7/11/2013 07:03:37 pm

When I wrote my first YA Paranormal/Time Travel/First Kiss romance novel entitled "I Kissed a Ghost," I'd strived to make sure the action occurring in the storyline had been age approriate for readers [girls] between the ages of 13 - 15. However, according to an indepth review of my book, it appears that it would also appeal to pre-teens as well.

Given the storyline as presented, I feel the book would best be described as being New Adult. New Adult as far as I understand it are books which are situated between YA and Adult. The themes and language are a bit stronger than a YA storyline and yet not quite an Adult one.

I feel it has become more difficult these days to precisely pinpoint the age appropriate audience when it comes to writing any children's book, which is what all three of the genres mentioned above fall into, Children these days are no longer naive as we were at their ages.

Reply
Elaine Ouston
7/12/2013 03:51:08 am

Thanks for your comment, Robyn. The New Adult category is a new one to me, but it makes perfect sense. It was the 13 to 15 age group that I was worried about. I felt is was too scary for them.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2024
    January 2023
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    June 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    August 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011

    Author

    News updates from Managing Editor, Elaine Ouston.

    Categories

    All
    Blog Tour Winners
    Book Marketing
    Book Reviews
    Books
    Books Blog Tour
    Book Submissions
    Children
    Morris Publishing News.
    Publishing
    Writing Competition
    Writing Competitions
    Writing Competition Winners

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly