SLJ SummerTeen: Classic Twists

Shelley Diaz — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:03:07 +0000

Teens no longer have to moan when they’re assigned Shakespeare and Dickens, thanks in part to a group of YA authors who’ve revamped and modernized works by such classic authors, making them far more accessible to students than ever before.

Gareth Hinds, Marissa Meyer, and Sean Michael Wilson were among the speakers participating on the “Classic Twists” panel during SLJ’s SummerTeen virtual conference on August 9, sharing their views on writing adaptations for young adults.

Hinds, a 2011 participant in SLJ’s Battle of the Books, uses graphic novels to retell classics such as Beowulf (2007) and The Odyssey (2010, both Candlewick), as well as adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. “Gods were the ancient Greeks’ superheroes,” says Hinds. “What better way to read about them than through the comic book medium?” His versions of the classics allow “the page to be a stage that characters walk around on.” During his presentation, Hinds shared a sneak peek of his next project: an adaptation of Romeo & Juliet with a multiracial cast.

Meyer shared the experience of her long road to finally getting published and how her fascination for anime and the popular ‘90s Japanese TV show, Sailor Moon, inspired her to write fanfiction that would later plant the seed for her debut, Cinder (Feiwel & Friends, 2012). The first book in her the “Lunar Chronicles” sci-fi/romance updates the classic rags-to-riches tale of Cinderella and is set in the future. Complete with spaceships and hover cars, the novel reinterprets the classic tale with a mechanic and cyborg as the main character.

Influenced by Jane Yolen’s and Anna Sheehan’s fairy tale reworkings, Meyer will follow up with Scarlet, based on Little Red Riding Hood, which is coming out in 2013. It will be followed by Crest, about Rapunzel, and Winter, about Snow White. Meyer says the theme of good conquering evil is one that attracts teens, and she sees a resurgence of teen interest in fairy tales as seen in the films Snow White and the Huntsman and Once Upon a Time.

Based in Scotland, but speaking from Japan, Wilson spoke about his range of graphic novels, from manga to American/British style comics, some bilingual and others in English and later translated to Japanese. Wilson’s “Classical Comics” series offers readers titles such as A Christmas Carol and Wuthering Heights in unabridged and “Quick Text” editions. His texts stay true to the originals and have been designed to be used in classrooms as a companion to the original text. Wilson has also adapted well-known Japanese stories, including The 47 Ronin, which follows the fate of former samurais wanting revenge for their master’s death. His dream adaptation? Franz Kafka’s short stories.

Although the three authors have distinct styles and approaches to their books, they did have one thing in common: they were all active storytellers long before they published their first books. Meyer spent years as a managing editor and then as a Seattle-based proofreader, while Hinds drew the characters and backgrounds for video games. Wilson stated simply: “Before becoming a writer, I was a reader.”

SLJ SummerTeen Interviews

SLJ SummerTeen Speaker: Marissa Meyer

SLJ — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:52:11 +0000

Marissa Meyer’s debut YA novel, Cinder, came out on January 3, 2012 and is the first in her “The Lunar Chronicles,” a four-book series with future volumes focusing on Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel.

Born and raised in Tacoma, WA, she Meyer was initially inspired to write Cinder after participating in a 2008 writing contest where she wrote a story focusing on a futuristic Puss in Boots.

Meyers attended Pacific Lutheran University, where she received a degree in creative writing. Before writing Cinder, she worked as a book editor for five years and would write Sailor Moon fanfics under the pen name of Alicia Blade.

Meyer is a is a guest speaker at SLJ‘s August 9 online event, SummerTeen: A Celebration of Young Adult Books. If you’ve signed up for SummerTeen, make sure to gather your teens to hear Meyer speak on the “Classic Twist” panel from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration is still open.

How did you end up writing fantasy novels?
MM: I started writing my first novel when I was 16—a fantasy novel about a 16-year-old princess (of course!). That novel was never finished, and I would attempt many more ideas and stories throughout college and into adulthood. I grew up, but my characters never did. When I started seriously looking into publication, I realized that I’d been writing YA all this time.

What do you like best about writing for teens?
MM: There’s a certain freedom that comes with writing YA. Teens are so experimental with their reading—they haven’t yet gotten locked into any specific genre, and when I ask a teen what their favorite books are, they often mention dystopians, paranormals, contemporaries, horrors, and more—all in one breath. This openness also allows for a lot of genre mashing and bending, which gives us writers permission to let our imaginations run wild.

What’s one of the most moving things someone has said about your books?
MM: I received an email from a teen reader who was about to go in for surgery to have metal splints put into her leg. She said that reading about Cinder with her cyborgness had made her feel not so scared and alone, and even made her feel pretty cool. I’m so honored to think my book could have that sort of impact, and I was of course quick to tell her that she is cool. A real-life cyborg!

How valuable are librarians at getting the word out about your work?
MM: There will never be a replacement for a good librarian. They know their genre and they know their readers—they’re in a perfect spot to connect people with the book they’re looking for and didn’t even know about. When a librarian succeeds at getting the right book into the right hands, it can open up a whole new relationship with books for that reader. That’s so special, and as a writer I appreciate what a difference a hand-picked recommendation of my book can make.

Do you ever worry about your books being censored or challenged?
MM: There isn’t much in the “Lunar Chronicles” that I worry about, but I sense some of the stories I have in mind for future projects could have touchier subjects. I like to think that I would have the confidence to write the story that I feel needs to be told, regardless of how it might be received.

Tell us about what you’re working on now?
MM: I’m currently knee-deep in revisions for Cress: Book Three of the Lunar Chronicles.

Other SLJ SummerTeen Interviews:

School Library Journal» Marissa Meyer

SLJ SummerTeen: Classic Twists

SLJ SummerTeen Speaker: Marissa Meyer