A more evenhanded comparison than today's YA books would be today's middle-grade books -- the books that elementary school students read, rather than older middle- and high-schoolers (who do read YA). (Yes, the terms are confusing.) By those standards, yes, they are somewhat on the small side but not nearly as much as if you compare them with books for older readers.
In fact, an excellent comparison could be made to the Imaginarium Geographica series by James Owen, which is not only a portal fantasy of sorts but has young Lewis, Tolkien, and Williams as characters. Somewhat longer, but still the same brisk pace. In contrast, Bruce Coville's works from a decade ago (My Teacher is an Alien or Magic Shop series) are even shorter and brisker.
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regna
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Date: 2011-01-18 00:16 (UTC)In fact, an excellent comparison could be made to the Imaginarium Geographica series by James Owen, which is not only a portal fantasy of sorts but has young Lewis, Tolkien, and Williams as characters. Somewhat longer, but still the same brisk pace. In contrast, Bruce Coville's works from a decade ago (My Teacher is an Alien or Magic Shop series) are even shorter and brisker.
---L.