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Stephen King for Young Adults
Fall 2024 Children's Sneak Previews
QUARTO/BECKER & MAYER! KIDS
becker&mayer! kids loads the bases with A Kids’ Guide to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by Jim Buckley Jr., highlighting the best and most memorable players; Dream Catchers by James Vukelich, introducing readers to the Ojibwe language through 15 phrases and words; and Stephen King for Young Adults: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences by Bev Vincent, offering an in-depth look at the bestselling author and his writings.
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For many young readers, when the last page of Goosebumps is turned, the first chapter of Pet Sematary begins, and a world of terror crafted by Stephen King is revealed. His novels are as fascinating as his life, and in this ultimate illustrated guidebook, young readers explore the cultural phenomenon and legacy of the King of Horror.
From scare-seeking child to impoverished university student to struggling schoolteacher to one of the best-selling—and most recognizable—authors of all time, this engrossing book reveals the evolution and influences of Stephen King’s body of work over his nearly 50-year career, and how the themes of his writing reflect the changing times and events within his life.
With tons of photos, approachable bite-size sections, and gripping details to captivate young readers, the book features:
“My childhood was pretty ordinary, except from a very early age I wanted to be scared…there was a radio program at the time called Dimension X, and my mother didn’t want me to listen to that because she felt it was too scary for me, so I would creep out of bed and go to the bedroom door and crack it open. And she loved it, so apparently, I got it from her, but I would listen at the door and then when the program was over, I’d go back to bed and quake.” —Stephen King
Young adults will covet this comprehensive yet accessible reference to their favorite horror author.
Although written for young readers, Stephen King fans of all ages will find much to enjoy about this book. It takes you back to King's early childhood, a time when he first realized he enjoyed being frightened, and takes us through his life and career with an interesting look at his books and adaptations of them at the end. While I'm not a regular reader of King, I mean, I don't like being scared, I know I was astonished to see it all in one place, in order, of his writings. Heck, the author even mentions some of King's college aged, more or less, poetry, as well as his various collaborations throughout the years. There are lots and lots of photos, too, not just of King but of his book covers and some of the memorable movie scenes adapted from his work, including two of my favorites, "Stand By Me" (from "The Body") and "The Green Miles" with Tom Hanks. I'm not sure I even knew he was responsible for "Shawshank Redemption" so, well, make that three of my favorites.
In any case, if you want to know where King was in both his life and, so to speak, his head at the time of his multitude of writings, you'll find this book fascinating. I know I did. It was all quite fascinating. I'll also note that while it doesn't delve into the troubled areas of his life, it doesn't sugar-coat it, either, making for genuinely revealing information. I really came to appreciate his wife, too, throughout the story. Most know the story of how she,Tabitha/Tabby (whose photo is shared), rescued his first major hit, "Carrie" from the trash, we also learn how it eventually found a publisher. And, oh, we also learn that while "Carrie" made King famous, he'd also been writing for some twenty years and been published, just not to acclaim. And, and, and....so much more.
The author does an excellent job not only delving into King's life but connecting life experiences that sparked ideas and even made their way into various novels over the years. You'll definitely come away with a new, improved idea of what is in each and how it came to be, not to mention reminded that despite his prolific ability to write book after book, King never found it easy. That's a good reminder for aspiring writers. Nope, it isn't easy. And, oh, speaking of the writing process, one of my personal favorite books by King, his "On Writing", came about after the accident that came close to taking his life. Details of that are in the book.
Bottom line, if you're a fan or simply curious about Stephen King and his books/writing process, this is an excellent start. Not only are there great photos but the author gives us a selected bibliography and end notes and the appendix is broken down to include books and adaptations. Seeing that lengthy list written down in one place is impressive, at least it was to me. Thanks #QuartoPublishingGroup and #becker&meyer / #becker&meyerKids for sharing this early, fun look into Stephen King's life and work. I had no idea. I'm feeling the urge to go back and reread some of those books now that I know more about where they came from.
He calls himself the Santa Claus of Halloween; others call him the Horrormeister. In either case, his name is Stephen King, and this is his literary biography as told through the pages of his work—which is to say, author Vincent has listed each of his many books in chronological order and offers relevant biographical detail and critical commentary for each. Born in Portland, Maine, on September 21, 1947, King started writing stories at age 6. He made his first professional sale at 20, a short story titled “The Glass Floor” for $30. A measure of his early success is that a scant six years later, the paperback rights for his first novel, Carrie, sold for $400,000. In addition to such biographical and critical detail, Vincent offers a number of sidebar features, including graphic novels, typecast writer, and others. Also listed are adaptations of the works. What sets this book apart, however, is the copious illustrative matter included, such as photographs, handwritten manuscript pages, and book covers. An excellent book that will be, in short, catnip for King enthusiasts.— Michael Cart
Fans of Stephen King or those who simply want to learn more about him, will find a treasure chest of information and insights in these pages and that in an engaging way.