By DAPHNE LEE
From Tots to Teens, StarMag
I HAVE an acquaintance who has read every single winner of the Man Booker Prize. This year, she's determined to read every book on the shortlist too. My goodness! The most recent winner of the Booker that I've read is 1998's Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. The most recent Booker winner I've read and enjoyed is 1990's Possession by A. S. Byatt.
I can't afford the time to read books just because they've won awards or landed on an award's shortlist. My to-read pile (if I did stack up the books that I want to read, that I feel should be read) is already taller than I am without having to add to it titles that other people have pronounced outstanding.
This also applies to children's and teen awards lists. I know that as someone who purchases books for a library; as a mother who encourages her children to read; as a journalist who writes about children's and teen fiction; and as the facilitator for a book discussion group for teens, I should be, as much as I can be, familiar with the books that win children's and teen literature prizes. I used to feel inadequate because I hadn't read them all (and guilty because, frankly, I had no desire to read a great many of them). I also used to agonise over whether or not I should buy all award-winners for my library.
I think, for some time, my main concern was that my book collections (at home and at the library) would not be very good if they didn't include award winners. I also wondered if I could fulfil my my various responsibilities if I had not read all these wonderful books. I guess I didn't feel very confident of my own tastes and convictions at that point and felt the need to lean on other people's (authorities') stamps of approval.
Perhaps I also lost sight of the people those books were meant for the first place. I mean, let's face it, I have a fair number of Newberry, Carnegie and Guardian winners on my shelves, but my 11-year-old isn't tempted in the least. He prefers the Mister Midnight series and science encyclopaedias.
I read award winners only if they appeal to me. I buy books based on whether I think I and others will enjoy them not what honors they’ve won.
Still, awards lists are useful if you don't know where to start. Award winners are usually books of high literary merit. I say usually because there are also prizes where the books are judged based solely on popularity (sales) and/or voted by the reading public (eg the Nestlé Children's Book Prize and the 3 Apples Book Award). It's probably a good idea for a collection to have a good mix of critically-acclaimed and commercially successful books (yes, those Mister Midnights will have to stay). There are some titles that are well-written and sell lots of copies too - they should be snapped up.
Visit Amazon and other websites to see what readers have to say about the award-winners that you’ve got your eye on. These books have already been approved by the industry experts - writers, publishers, librarians, academics - who chose to honour them so now you need to find out what their target audience thinks.
Of course it helps if you know and understand the tastes of those you're buying for (if it isn‘t yourself). The best way is to observe, ask, listen, research and then, because a book is more than just the sum of its title, synopses, review and prize, read, to find out for yourself.
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