Why are we so
fascinated with books set in New York? While eight and a half million people
live in this large city, 320 million people live in the US. When we do the math, we see that
almost 311 million Americans live somewhere other than New York. Yet,
children's and young adults' books continue to be set in New York more than any
other location. (Full disclosure: this is an observation not a fact that I
could point to statistics to support. What’s your take on this?)
Two recent
books to cross my desk that were set in New York were romance/coming of age
novels for middle and early high school girls. Starry Night by Isabel Gilles features 15-year-old Wren, an artist,
ADD inflicted rich girl with perfect parents. In fact all of Wren's life is
downright perfect from her set of four BFFs to her five-story brownstone home,
to her older brother, younger sister, private school, etc. Starry Night tells the tale of Wren's first love, the ups and downs
of one short year in her life. And over the course of the book, the reader
learns that while Wren's life is close to perfect, there are flaws: her
mother's temper, her troubled BFFs, her oh too perfect younger sister. The
reader also gets a glimpse of one of the greatest cities in the world: the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, the subways, taxicabs and Central Park.
The second
book is The Summer Invitation by
Charlotte Silver. Franny and her older sister Valentine, pronounced so it
rhymes with seen, are invited by an old family friend to spend a summer in New
York. Both girls are in high school and relish the idea of doing something
different with their summer. Because the family friend is delayed in France the
girls spend their summer with, Clover, a young chaperone who teaches them the
ropes, again, the Met, the subways, taxicabs, and a bit of Grand Central Station,
and vintage clothing stores. Valentine also experiences a romance, and a broken
heart. Franny's romance is with the city itself, although she does meet a boy
near the end of their time in the city, with hints of a future relationship.
But, the
question remains, why is such a disproportionate number of books set in New
York, when so many of us cannot relate to the lives of the characters? While
romance is universal, elite private schools, nannies and junior year abroad in
high school are not experiences that the average high school student can relate
to.
Thinking back
on some of my favorite books from when I was younger, also set in New York: The All of a Kind Family by Sydney
Taylor about a family of girls growing up in New York, this Jewish family was part
of a much different Manhattan than the more recent books set in New York. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.
Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg is another example of book set in New York
featuring elite characters, with the Met playing a large role within the story.
More recent
examples of books set in New York for slightly younger readers include Ann
Martin’s Ten Rules for Living with My
Sister and the sequel, Ten Good and
Bad Things About My Life; and Rebecca Stead’s Newbery medal winning When You Reach Me. In these books,
especially in When You Reach Me, the
families are not quite as elite as they are in the two books mentioned earlier.
In any case, the stories of living in New York City have an edge and portray a
romantic vision of what we expect out of life as American teens or pre-teens.
What do you think? Do you have a favorite childhood book set
in New York? Do you think we overdo using this setting, or is it just about
right, given the iconic importance of New York to the American psyche?
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