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If you believed
the hype, you'd
be torn between
thinking on one
hand that
children were
permanently
superglued to a
dog-eared tome
by J K Rowling
and on the
other, that they
were unable to
tear themselves
away from a
computer screen.
So what is the
truth? Are
children
bookworms or
computer kids?
When author
Darren Shan
spoke to around
50 children at
Birmingham
Central Library,
you would
definitely think
the former.
Rarely have I
seen children's
faces so
animated as when
they talked
about the
vampires in
Shan's Cirque
du Freak
Ros Bartlett who
had brought the
children to the
library from
Earls High
School,
Halesowen, where
she is head of
learning and
curriculum
support,
dismisses claims
that children
are glued to
computer screens
and nothing
else. "Don't
tell me that
children don't
read these days.
Look at this,"
she says, waving
her arm at the
wide-eyed
gossiping
children,
clamouring for
Darren Shan to
sign their
books, "They
just need the
right stimulus."
The right
stimulus, it
seems, is blood
and vampires and
an undeniable
touch of horror.
Says Owen Hill,
12: "I 1ove
horror stories
because so much
happens." Fellow
pupil David
Simms is
currently
reading the
Darren Shan
books with his
mum. “I read the
speech bits and
she reads the
non-speech,' he
tells me. For
the uninitiated,
it may seem a
little dark for
our little
darlings but
according to Ms
Bartlett, Darren
Shan's books not
only entertain
ten, 11 and 12
year-olds, but
also teach them
the intricacies
of story
telling. “We can
use his style of
writing to aid
their creative
writing as well.
He uses
wonderfid
descriptive
passages," she
explains. School
librarian Lesley
Smith adds:
"They believe
after they have
read books like
this that they
can do it
themselves.”
Cirque Du
Success For
Darren
Still in his
20s, Darren Shan
already has a
huge following
among school
children. He has
had three novels
in his Cirque
du Freak
series
published, has
another seven
books written
and is planning
a series of 20.
The books are
aimed at an age
group which was
long forgotten
by publishers —
the post-primary
school pre-adult
novels age
group. And as
such his books
are competing
against those
from the pen of
the author du
jour,
none other that
J K Rowling (or
"J K" as I
discover she's
called by those
in the know).
Cirque du
Freak is
about something
out of the
ordinary but set
against the
background of
children's
normal lives. It
seems that
Darren, who
hails from
County Limerick
in Ireland, has
found the
measure of what
children want
from a novel. I
ask him to share
some of his
secrets. “It's
quite different
writing for
children," he
admits. "You
have to get the
right tone. It's
very easy to
talk down to
them. But after
a couple of
books, I got
into the swing
of it. I always
write for
myself. When I
write, I think
of me when I was
10, 11 or 12. A
good writer will
write a complex
story in
relatively
simple language.
You have to make
it fun to read a
book. Like this,
teachers are
able to read it
out in class and
the stories are
easy to follow."
Shan's secret
seems to be
that, like
little Harry
Potter, children
actually care
about the books'
hero. It means
they feel
genuine emotions
– horror, fear
and so on – at
what is
happening to the
characters. But
this horror
business, is it
right that
children should
he exposed to
blood, guts and
severed hands?
“Children, and
adults, are
always
interested in
dark things. You
can't change
that," says
Darren. "It's
like a
roller-coaster
ride. You can
get off a really
scary
roller-coaster
ride at the end,
and it is the
same with a
book. Most
people like to
be scared but at
the same time,
they like to be
safe." Shan, who
completed his
first book at
17, points out
that when he was
young, if you.
wanted to
indulge the
bloodthirsty
side of your
nature, you
would have had
to read some
Stephen King or
something
equally adult
and gruesome.
With the
Cirque du Freak
series, the
kids are getting
their horror
kicks but in a
relatively tame
fashion.
Books aimed at
this age group
are now coming
thick and fast,
thanks, in large
measure to
Harry Potter.
Does Shan
ever get
frustrated with
living under the
almost mythical
shadow of a
certain Ms
Rowling? “Not at
all. I think
Harry Potter
has found a huge
market out
there. It has
created readers.
It's good for
everybody." So
back to the
original
question, are
children
bookworms or
computer buffs?
According to
Darren Shan, a
bit of both and
that is a trend
which is set to
continue. His
website –
Shanville –
complements his
books and helps
his readers to
get to know what
makes the author
tick. He also
sees e-books as
the way forward.
"I think the
e-book with come
in the next 20
years and it
will be mostly
used by
children," he
explains. But is
that a good
thing? Surely he
would prefer
children to be
excitedly
turning the
pages of his
paper books?
Actually, no. "I
live in Limerick
in Ireland and
when I was
growing up, I
could never get
the books I
wanted. If there
are e-books and
you are hooked
up to a
computer, you
will just be
able to download
them no matter
where you are.
That means
anyone can read,
wherever they
are. You have to
remember it is
the same books,
just in a
different
format. Kids
will still be
reading and that
has to be a good
thing."
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