From the NYTimes:
... I sometimes wonder how any self-respecting author of speculative fiction can find fulfillment in writing novels for young readers. I suppose J. K. Rowling could give me 1.12 billion reasons in favor of it: get your formula just right and you can enjoy worldwide sales, film and television options, vibrating-toy-broom licensing fees, Chinese-language bootlegs of your work, a kind of limited immortality (L. Frank Baum who?) and — finally — genuine grown-up readers. But where’s the artistic satisfaction? Where’s the dignity?
Responses by Gwenda, Ed Champion, Matthew Cody, Andrew Wheeler and Scott Edelman (who's hoping that Ursula K. Le Guin will perform a smackdown) as well as at SF Signal, Finding Wonderland and GalleyCat.
Hmmm . . . mental note to self: never read any of ThatPerson's writing.
Posted by: cc | 04 February 2008 at 11:09 AM
Oh, traitor me. I started reading the article to join in the repugnofest and found myself getting sidetracked with curiousity about the first book reviewed ("Un Lun Dun"). Anyone read it yet? Opinions?
Posted by: Margaret | 04 February 2008 at 12:36 PM
I didn't particularly care for Un Lun Dun - the details were fantastic but the story didn't do anything for me - so I felt justified in continuing to roll my eyes at the article.
And why pick L. Frank Baum for the limited immortality? Perhaps more people watch the movie these days than pick up the books, but we still have a huge (and definitely circulating) collection of them at the library. I'd say he's still doing pretty well.
Posted by: jessmonster | 04 February 2008 at 12:44 PM
Oh, I've wanted to read Un Lun Dun for a gazillion years. I just don't understand why the reviewer needed to begin his piece by badmouthing an entire genre.
Posted by: Leila | 04 February 2008 at 12:53 PM
Andrew Wheeler (in your links) has a whole CATEGORY devoted to ThatPerson. Reading through Wheeler's (admittedly biased) collection it appears that ThatPerson 1) doesn't actually read a whole lot; 2) doesn't think much of SF/F; 3) doesn't actually do his job (i.e. review books).
Jessmonster: when I saw the Baum reference I totally choked and stopped reading. It's just so wrong headed. I mean, have the OZ books *ever* gone out of print? And has anybody notified OZ and Ends? Is there an OZ assassination squad?
Posted by: cc | 04 February 2008 at 03:01 PM
I so loved Matthew Cody's and Scott Edelman's takes. And I'd love to see Ursula LeGuin put the smackdown on Itzkoff.
Posted by: Kelly Fineman | 04 February 2008 at 03:09 PM
Ursula LeGuin? I say we send Joyce Carol Oates his way. I've heard she has a mean left hook.
Posted by: Brian F. | 04 February 2008 at 03:13 PM
Anyone who would even consider writing such an intro is clearly completely unqualified to be reviewing children's books. What are the Times editors thinking??
Posted by: Petrichor | 05 February 2008 at 12:34 AM
Since you brought this up, and I don't read the NYT, I've been endlessly scrolling pages on Itzkoff, and opinions about Itzkoff- wow!!! HOW could that have happened? His being picked as SF editor in the first place, then denouncing YA lit?! Pretty much all SF authors (the good ones anyhow!!!) have welcomed the YA into their audience!! I feel like screaming!!!! Madeleine screams from her grave and I hope Ursula does some good fist-shaking!!!
Posted by: tzveyah | 05 February 2008 at 10:33 AM
Itzkoff is a knob-head. Always has been. I love when people dismiss wildly successful writers like JK Rowling of merely "getting the formula just right," as if she tinkered around in her kitchen measuring sugar and flour then sat back and collected her paychecks. If it's that easy, why isn't Itzkoff doing it? Moreover, teen readers are not a consolation prize. They're busy busy people who have assigned reading. It's not easy to sell them books.
Posted by: Lauren McLaughlin | 06 February 2008 at 11:28 AM
how about anybody providing a link so I can call him an idiot directly? I looked but could not come up with one.
Posted by: Francesca | 06 February 2008 at 11:32 AM