Breakfast Serial, anyone?
Author Linda Sue Park has a new novel out called A Long Walk to Water, “based on the true story of Salva Dut, a Sudanese refugee who fled his home village at the age of eleven because of war. Salva became one of the ‘Lost Boys of Sudan‘, immigrating to the U.S. in the 1990s (he is now President and Chief Operating Officer of the charitable foundation Water for Sudan).” If this blurb catches your attention—it immediately caught mine!—don’t look for Salva’s story at you favorite bookstore—you won’t find it there. Instead, look for it in your local newspaper, as a “Breakfast Serial.”
Breakfast Serials, founded by children’s book author Avi, have, since 1996, been taking novel-length pieces of original fiction and syndicating them for publication in newspapers, one chapter a week, in the U.S. and abroad. “A simpler, more popular literature that appeals to new audience sets”, these serials were originally aimed at young people “who know how to read but choose not to,” but their popularity soon captured the attention of adults as well. Their goal, as stated on their website, is “to refresh the reading experience in a new and convenient context and to forward the process of human attachment by way of an unfolding story.” A very nice concept that has people talking and trying to figure out “what happens next.”
Every Breakfast Serial installment is accompanied by full-color or b/w illustrations—something that sets them apart from novels published in book format, which usually aren’t illustrated. You can see two sample chapters of A Long Walk to Water, illustrated by Jim Averbeck, here. In addition to Park’s story about Salva, there are many others available in English and Spanish, such as The Monkey King by Ji-li Jiang, with illustrations by Hui Hui Su-Kennedy; Avi’s The Secret School, illustrated by Brian Floca; Katherine Paterson’s Long Road Home, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully, and more.
Their “serials” menu includes something for every taste, and many of the stories about children’s courage, ingenuity, fortitude and resourcefulness are in the same spirit of those we currently highlight on the PaperTigers website.
Linda Sue Park says on her What I’m Reading blog: “If [A Long Walk to Water] hasn’t shown up in your local paper, it might be because they have decided to run it at a later date. Or they might not be running it at all. Either way, you can give them a call or send an e-mail and ask about it: I would appreciate it greatly, because I want as many folks as possible to learn about Salva’s story!”
In a moment when many are turning to online and wireless reading, how refreshing it is to know that great children’s stories are being printed and read in the pages of newspapers!
For more information, visit the Breakfast Serials website—and keep your eyes peeled for the next paper delivery!
February 19th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Hi Aline — wow, this is VERY interesting about Breakfast serials. My son does like to look at the paper — mostly for sports stories and movie reviews, but I’m sure serialized material like what Park is offering would be interesting to him, for sure!
February 20th, 2009 at 11:08 am
This sounds so great – it doesn’t look as though the UK is there yet. Newspaper editors sit up and take note!
February 22nd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
what a great blog-now that I know about it I will put a link on mine-I would really like to see children’s books serialized in the Vancouver Sun-great idea…
February 24th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Meredith. I visited your blog, Late Literacy, and it looks like you’re doing some pretty wonderful work!
The idea of serializing novels is to allow for readers and writers “to make a novel last and be talked about endlessly, like the daily soap opera.” Don’t you just love the idea?!… Serials aimed at adults have been running for quite some time now in papers throughout the world, but the idea of serializing children’s book is indeed new/newish, as far as I’m concerned. I can just imagine children who don’t have it yet campaigning in front of their local newspaper’s building, holding poster and chanting: “We want serials! We want serials!” : )