Should Children’s Book Heroes Grow Up?
Author Anthony Horrowitz (the Alex Rider series) firmly believes that the magic of children’s book characters, like Peter Pan, lies in their eternal youth. But authors such as Jamila Gavin (Coram Boy) feel that “writers instinctively know when there’s more to be discovered.”
There’s room enough in the broad church of children’s fiction for stories that look unflinchingly at growing up and for those whose brave young protagonists mature into happy adults. And there’s also a place for characters who never age at all, and whose adventures unfold endlessly in an eternal golden childhood. — Philip Reeve (The Mortal Engines Quartet) (The Guardian)
