tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post7282567205283237514..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Boys Won't Read About Girls, Will They? - Ellen RennerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-4221368356334920932011-05-26T14:49:45.514+01:002011-05-26T14:49:45.514+01:00Celia, pet peeve or not, it's not just about p...Celia, pet peeve or not, it's not just about publishers. I prefer to remain as anonymous as possible, though I haven't always succeeded - or been consistent. It's not about me; it's about my fiction.Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770069472552779217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-31203581028983207932011-05-26T13:43:32.915+01:002011-05-26T13:43:32.915+01:00I've had my share of stick for having girls on...I've had my share of stick for having girls on the covers of my Bloosbury books, although it did not even occur to me that having a picture of a girl would 'put boys off'. My all time pet peeve is when publishers try to disguise the gender of the writer by using initials, lest a woman's name 'puts boys off'. Maybe it is time to tell boys to get over themselves.Celia Reeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05059549379622664741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-62345687862346537492011-05-25T22:58:20.589+01:002011-05-25T22:58:20.589+01:00Great post, Ellen. But it's NEWBERY, not NEWBE...Great post, Ellen. But it's NEWBERY, not NEWBERRY. And I should know ...Linda Newberyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04026320333019630397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-9808963379038961422011-05-25T14:09:39.830+01:002011-05-25T14:09:39.830+01:00This is a very interesting topic - thanks Ellen. I...This is a very interesting topic - thanks Ellen. I was a real tomboy when I was a child and though an avid reader would have been put off by certain covers. While I loved books that had strong female protagonists, I wouldn't have picked up book that was 'too girly' (flowery, pink, lovehearts). <br /><br />Generally, I think that if the cover reflects the tone and content of the book that it will appeal to its target market. <br /><br />Not all story lines will appeal to all people, but it would be a great shame if a story with general appeal was lost to either gender because of a poorly designed cover.Supergirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13504236405762953003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-10219013822335924062011-05-25T12:06:40.542+01:002011-05-25T12:06:40.542+01:00Pink covers can be a problem, and anything with a ...Pink covers can be a problem, and anything with a huge picture of a girl. It's not that the readers don't want to read about girls (at least with ages 11-14), but they don't want their friends to think they are reading about girls. I have a lot of boys reading Pierce's Alanna, and I try to encourage my students to read about people who are not necessarily just like them. Every February, I host a "boys read pink" event, and the boys read all kinds of "girl" books!Ms. Yinglinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17805324364289597178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-92040933067197296732011-05-25T09:46:56.363+01:002011-05-25T09:46:56.363+01:00Never mind girl or boy appeal - that third cover o...Never mind girl or boy appeal - that third cover of Terabithia is so utterly uninspiring (and lazy) I shouldn't imagine it would appeal to anyone of either gender ...madwippitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02595748471651052552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-75146709777906172172011-05-24T23:04:39.481+01:002011-05-24T23:04:39.481+01:00Loved this post. It's so topical and such a di...Loved this post. It's so topical and such a difficult things to get right. I was reliably informed by boys I was working with today (11-12) that pink is an "in" colour for boys now - they detailed various clothes they had and loved the shade of pink (one was painting a pink clay bowl at the time, which engendered the topic).<br /><br />I grew up with Malcolm Saville's books which always had both boys and girls in the story and on the cover. And judging by the members of the Malcolm Saville club these days, they were enjoyed equally by both sexes and by their now-grow-up children too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-21377055195621982752011-05-24T22:36:20.911+01:002011-05-24T22:36:20.911+01:00Great post Ellen and managed without an image of a...Great post Ellen and managed without an image of a single pink cover! I think you can't possibly hope to satisfy all of the people all of the time, and young readers already have very clear prejudices about the kind of books they will and won't pick up. Maybe it's time for publishers to do alternative covers for some titles?Nick Crosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02571077124165351007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-19923035359404110542011-05-24T19:45:09.731+01:002011-05-24T19:45:09.731+01:00I found this post so interesting, so I thought I&#...I found this post so interesting, so I thought I'd try out the cover of Castle of Shadows on my son, who is 11. He said that the figure of the girl wouldn't deter boys - 'but it's a bit flowery and that might put them off.' I read him the blurb and he said 'I'd definitely be interested in reading that.'(note to self: buy him a copy!) He also wanted to point out that Hermione being a girl didn't stop any boy from reading the Harry Potter books. He says it doesn't matter whether the main character is a girl or boy, as long as the story is interesting.Keren Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13121027210783177857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-3132763401289502482011-05-24T19:33:34.976+01:002011-05-24T19:33:34.976+01:00Hmmm. Interesting stuff. I'm doing a hen and a...Hmmm. Interesting stuff. I'm doing a hen and a cat on the front covers for my series Cinnamon Grove. I'd like to say this was a clever tactical move in response to the gender specific publishing climate that Ellen has identified. Truth is, I'm rubbish at faces but I do a mean chicken.Wendy Meddournoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-56499648883401482712011-05-24T17:59:41.478+01:002011-05-24T17:59:41.478+01:00@Girl Friday,
Tyke is a great book. I never saw i...@Girl Friday, <br />Tyke is a great book. I never saw it coming. But do look out Juniper too. If you love the one, you're bound to like it too. I think it's Kemp's masterpiece.Ellen Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09409919041496631776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-62318636042999552962011-05-24T17:44:06.621+01:002011-05-24T17:44:06.621+01:00OMG, thank you SO MUCH for reminding me about Tyke...OMG, thank you SO MUCH for reminding me about Tyke Tiler, I had completely forgotten about that book and it was one of my absolute favourites. Am rushing off to dig it up now!<br /><br />And great post, some very interesting points. I have to say it's not just boys, as a child who was a complete tomboy I wouldn't have been caught dead with dolls or any overly 'girly' books... so sometimes it's just a matter of taste.Tatum Flynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00074228011847976820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-8559386594214935402011-05-24T17:15:39.091+01:002011-05-24T17:15:39.091+01:00"I can never recall reading with any gender b..."I can never recall reading with any gender bias as a child."<br /><br />Don't know about that, Nick. I was careful that nobody saw me reading Jill Has Two Ponies; and I always read the St Clares and Naughtiest Girl in the School books in a detached and ironic manner...John Doughertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11937505376169411724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-7765803275935089402011-05-24T16:43:00.717+01:002011-05-24T16:43:00.717+01:00It's weird, isn't it? I can never recall r...It's weird, isn't it? I can never recall reading with any gender bias as a child. It must be a recent ingenious invention by publishers to try and sell fewer (sic) books.<br /><br />What about that all-time classic 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'? The main character is Lucy and I don't know of anyone who ever wished Lucy had been a boy.<br /><br />And I agree with you entirely on the Cat Kin covers. Tiffany will hunt down anyone who tries to edit her out.Nick Greenhttp://www.nickgreenbooks.webeden.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-5164175134032310922011-05-24T13:27:21.468+01:002011-05-24T13:27:21.468+01:00Such an interesting post. I think the way books ar...Such an interesting post. I think the way books are marketted now DOES create more of a divide. I also think boys are more aware of the need to be "cool". But a good story is a good story. As a kid I loved Anne of Green Gables and the Railway Children (E Nesbit generally in fact). I'm interested, though, in why picture books are not explored: this is surely when the gender specific "rules" are laid down. Funnily enough, I am often challanged to explain why most of my books are about girls (Katie's Picture Show; Ella Bella ballerina; Miranda the Castaway). The reason is simple though: I grew up with an older sister and no brothers...James Mayhewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07010336942604939464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-90913589222889478332011-05-24T13:14:11.215+01:002011-05-24T13:14:11.215+01:00I agree, Ellen, things have got a lot more segrega...I agree, Ellen, things have got a lot more segregated over the last generation - why, I'm not sure.<br /><br />I quite agree about <i>Bridge to Terabithia</i> and the latest cover. Looking at the earliest copy of Paterson's book, though, I think Leslie has if anything been made too obviously a girl: in the book she was rather androgynous in appearance, iirc.<br /><br />At least the latest editions of the Sleepover Club books, for all their hearts, don't actually have the words "Definitely Not For Boys!" emblazoned on the cover, as they did when I first read them. A few things change for the better, then, but the tide is definitely running the other way.Cathy Butlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03838615971611193743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-21615297939917435802011-05-24T11:56:43.414+01:002011-05-24T11:56:43.414+01:00Thanks, John. Bansi sounds like my kind of girl: m...Thanks, John. Bansi sounds like my kind of girl: must get to know her. I'm glad RH are being sensible. <br /><br />Apologies generally for the lateness of this post: struggling with Blogger and image posting all morning.Had to switch computers half-way through. Still white spaces which I can't irradicate.Ellen Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09409919041496631776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-28734240767291912702011-05-24T11:10:53.042+01:002011-05-24T11:10:53.042+01:00Great post, Ellen. I suspect it's a vicious ci...Great post, Ellen. I suspect it's a vicious circle - the more publishers withdraw girls from the covers of adventurous books, the more boys will identify covers which feature girls as "girls' books".<br /><br />I think - I hope! - Random House see my Bansi O'Hara books as for boys and girls both, but they've had no qualms about depicting Bansi (a female character) on the front. If more publishers did the same, perhaps we'd see more of a shift here.<br /><br />Oh, and congratulations on the award!John Doughertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11937505376169411724noreply@blogger.com