I was at my parents' house today, for my mom's birthday. And, down in my old bedroom, I came across my American Girl books. Let me tell you - I adored those books in elementary school. Felicity was my favorite, Molly was my least favorite, and Samantha and Kirsten fell somewhere in between. Even now, I remember the stories fondly.
It made me think about the responsibility that we as authors have towards younger audiences. Since I am working on a YA novel, I consider a lot what or how the things that I'm writing will be interpreted by readers.
Back when I was working at the bookstore, there were certain young adult books that I swore never to recommend to parents of teenage girls. Books about catty, rich, mean girls do nothing to encourage young girls to explore their potential. I'm not anywhere near being feminist, and we have come a long way towards women being equal in several aspects of life, but girls still need role models better and stronger than Bella Swan. (Though I will say that Bella at least gets badass when she finally becomes a vampire.)
Where is the line between responsibility and creativity? I've never been one to place blame for violent acts on things like movies or television, but children do emulate the characters they love. After all, who of us DIDN'T try to start their own Baby-Sitter's Club?
Karla
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