From the February 4th article "Edmonton authors Natasha Deen and Marty Chan dominate the young-readers realm" by Justin Bell in the Edmonton Journal:
Now, the acclaimed author is shepherding his three newest publications to release. Chan’s first new book, Kylie the Magnificent, about a girl who wants to be a magician but is pigeonholed into being a magician’s assistant, came out last December. It’s for kids 9-12.
Willpower, about a girl with powers hiding from authorities and also for kids 9-12, comes out this month. Final Cut, the story of a boy and a video project gone wrong, comes out in August. It’s for readers over the age of 12. All three are from Orca Book Publishers.
Small age differences can make a big difference in language, tone and subject matter for young readers. But when it comes down to it, it’s all about story and character.
“The thought process is the same. It always comes down to story and character,” says Chan. “I still have to come up with a believable and strong character. The second thing I think about is what are the stories? What are the characters that are relevant for that particular age? When kids are reading, they tend to read up in terms of age and issues they are facing.”
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