With the advent of e-readers, the struggle of independent bookstores against online retailers, and the growing amount of leisure time spent online, publishing is in a bit of turmoil. Of the thousands of books that crossed my desk this year, the one that had the most resonance was the one that spoke to this precipice: Lane Smith’s “It’s a Book.”
This is a picture book about … the end of picture books? Will our kids read everything on a screen? Will the tactile pleasures of a book be replaced by the snazzier features of an app? I shudder at the thought. Smith’s book has generated a bit of controversy over his use of the word “jackass” in a book aimed at elementary school readers (one of the characters is, in fact, a jackass) but I hope readers will focus on his larger message: Nothing – whether it tweets or beeps or plays a video – will ever capture our imaginations the way a great story does.
The books being produced for kids and teens have never been better, or better bargains – gorgeously designed, thoughtfully written and edited, attractively priced at less than the cost of two movie tickets. With a wish for some year-end empty hours to fill, here are our choices for 2010’s best books for kids and teens.
TEENS AND TWEENS
“Blank Confession” by Pete Hautman (Simon & Schuster, $16.99, ages 12-up).