Comments on: What Is the Difference Between Adult NF and NF For Younger Readers?

By: Marc Aronson

Marc Aronson — Fri, 27 May 2011 10:16:29 +0000

it is cheapter to put images on a website than in a book — no printing cost, don’t need to use good paper (to get an image to “pop” on the page you need paper that is more expensive than paper that only features print), and if your site is only linking to images you may not have to pay permissions fees, which you do in print.

By: Marc Aronson

Marc Aronson — Fri, 27 May 2011 10:14:01 +0000

thank you

By: Sandy D.

Sandy D. — Wed, 25 May 2011 15:02:34 +0000

Adult nonfiction is apparently afraid of using too many pictures.

I’m reading Moby-Duck right now, and the text is *crying out* for some photographs – I got frustrated trying to visualize some of Hohn’s descriptions, went googling, and found the website for the book – with pages of glorious maps and photographs. Why wasn’t this data in the book? Too expensive, but an accessory website wasn’t so costly? It wouldn’t look as academic with color photos? They’re afraid of looking too much like a magazine? I dunno, but I do know that I really love the glorious graphics in YA nonfiction.

By: Linda Zajac

Linda Zajac — Wed, 25 May 2011 12:32:31 +0000

Such good questions you pose. From my perspective as a writer of high school science for magazines, the focus of an article is the high school chemistry concept. Even if the topic is wildly exciting, if there is no concept to convey, there is no article. I get questions like these recent ones:
“Based on the information you have collected so far, what would be the best chemistry concept that could be highlighted in your article?” and this one…
“Whichever of these two topics you decide to choose, if there is a good chemistry concept behind it, then it’s yours.”
Adult NF may or may not take into account curriculum. If it does, it’s generally not the primary reason for existing. I believe the primary goal of YA NF is to educate and adult NF is to tell a story. Although both can do either.

By: Myra Zarnowski

Myra Zarnowski — Wed, 25 May 2011 12:20:52 +0000

Several years ago I discovered that YA nonfiction was shelved in the adult section of my local public library. “Oh, so that’s where they put it,” I remember thinking. No wonder I can never find so much nonfiction there. Anything over 100 pages seemed to go into the adult section, but that was only true for NF, not fiction. And, similarly, I see the same categorizing of longer NF in elementary school. While it seems quite appropriate for children to read lengthy novels, it seems odd to some (not me!) for them to read longer NF.

So what’s the difference between adult and YA nonfiction? One big difference for me is that YA authors take the time to assist young readers in understanding how nonfiction works. I am currently reading Penny Colman’s ELIZABETH CADY STANTON AND SUSAN B. ANTHONY: A FRIENDSHIP THAT CANGED THE WORLD and I was impressed that she took the time to explain to readers that could have started the book with their initial meeting, but chose instead to start with their early upbringing. These are choices that help readers understand the construction of historical writing. Nonfiction for YAs can be “considerate” of the young reader.

By: Katie M.

Katie M. — Wed, 25 May 2011 12:00:06 +0000

I think you hit a home run with this post. Not only do you succinctly lay out the differences in fiction (please, people, quit talking about content…it’s voice!), you make a great argument for the dissimilarities in NF and YANF. I think it is truly about assumed knowledge. Several of the best sellers that have teen companions expect a knowledge of time and space that need not be explained. Making NF accessible to teens may mean weeding some of that out, without ever dumbing down the content. Well done!