So the other day I was down in Mairangi Bay, digging through the books at the second hand store.
Now the thing is, I was on holiday, and I just wanted something silly, and lame to read.
And I found it.
They had this stack of paper backs. You know the kind? Barely the width of your little finger, yellowed pages, more than not with photos of huge haired 80s’-90’s teenagers on the front of them?
I paid two dollars and they gave me a very worn copy of a ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ story, something from a series called ‘All That Glitters’ (About 80s soap opera stars! ha!) one volume of those old ‘Animal Ark’ stories, and a picture book called ‘Party in Catland.’
Once I got home the temptation provided by these books was far too great and I began with ‘All That Glitters: Set Up’ and I had this thought.
I wonder what it would be like to read ONLY books published prior to the year 2001?
What would I see?
Would there be much that would be different?
Would it be completely the same?
Has our generational writing style changes?
The way we use dialogue?
Romance?
The reason I picked the year 2001 is pretty obvious. Because the millennium was a hugely significant time for people seeing as you’re living through this important date and there was a kind of futuristic-world-is-my-oyster-optimism which was crashed a year later when two planes were flown into two buildings.
Personally, I figured contrasting the world before 9/11 in Young-Adult Literature is going to be SUPER interesting, so I’m going to do it.
For the next three months I will read ONLY books published before the year 2001. I’ll review the books, make some notes on what I liked, what I didn’t like, etc. I guess it will be fun looking back. Summing it all up for what it is.
Also. How else would I have a chance to review Sweet Valley High so comprehensively?
Anyway! That’s my plan. I’ll be posting my first review on ‘All That Glitters: Set Up’ tomorrow.
Let’s just say it was fabulous.
Jess at Gideon Press 