http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2008/07/the-other-bat-m.html

There is a A LOT of talk about this in the kidlitosphere right now. The YA vs adult issue is a crazy complicated big deal as there are so many so-called adult authors who do look down on YA.

I’ll be honest – I get flak just for reviewing YA for Bookslut; it’s like I’m not good enough to cover the adult books.

Very frustrating.

Sure, Rabb apparently admits that she had a visceral reaction when she first learned of the sale of her book, and this reaction was supported by the reactions of other writers with similar misgivings about what is ultimately just a marketing ploy. (It should be noted that, prior to HEARTBREAK, Rabb had published several middle grade books so to say that she abhors the idea of writing for kids would be inaccurate.) I suppose my read on this article is not that she’s ungrateful for having her novel published, it’s just that she realized she needed to expand her thoughts on how others might view her work. Sometimes, writers get in their head that they’ve written “this” kind of book or “that” kind and they forget that an audience might see things differently. I’m guilty of that myself.

I think some of the best YA out there today was stuff where the author wasn’t TRYING to write for the teen audience but the just, as Sittenfeld said, wrote what they wanted and let the publisher figure it out. Rabb’s book is very good and if her publisher decides to release an “adult” version, it can only help.

Anyway, if you want to read an absolutely abhorrent article that not merely dances on the line of cluelessness but ultimately invites cluelessness to tango, followed by a rohypnol-laden evening of unbridled sex, check out this link.