Out of the black and into the...

I read The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint. It is a YA novel with teen protagonists aimed at an early teen market. I has an invisible realm of ghosts, angels and fairies - pretty much the usual de Lint scenario. Right from the start, I cannot help but make comparison between this book and China Mieville's Un Lun Dun which I read recently. One thing which was very noticable for me was that the Mieville book did not work at an adult level. However The Blue Girl works find for anybody from 13 years old and upwards really. It isn't the often trotted out line about multiple levels that gives this book this quality. It is simply that the main characters, despite being teenagers, are able to be related to by anybody. Why in this case and not in the other?

The Mieville book felt dumbed down for its young audience. Not quite patronising but there was a definite feeling of an adult patting a kid on the head and saying "I've got a nice little story for you". Charles de Lint does not do that. Sure he makes the story more linear and direct than he would otherwise and some concepts and aspects of life are omitted. But these omissions are not because kids aren't smart enough to understand them - its just that they relate to the kind of things which come along later in life. In fact, I would say de Lint expects his audience to be smart and aware. I think it is this quality that really helps transcend the target audience barrier. Of course he still has to have the skill to bring the characters the life and tell their story but that was never in doubt with this author. I note that this book made a bunch of lists for recommended teen reading. It just made mine too.