Actually,
I answered the title question before I published my first middle-grade
historical novel in 2017. I use my legal name, Kathryn Page Camp, for my adult
nonfiction. But when I started writing for children, I wanted something a
little less formal, so I use Kaye Page. That’s the name I went by when I was
the same age as my middle-grade readers.
A
few years back I heard a conference speaker say that a writer should use a
different name for every genre he or she writes. Personally, I think that is
going too far. Taken to its logical conclusion, someone who writes romance and
mystery and fantasy would use three names even though the audiences might overlap.
I do think pen names can be useful for distinguishing between audiences, however,
which is part of the reason I chose to use one for my children’s books.
So
why does this issue come up now? I’ve been listening to an audio-book called Little
Souls by Sandra Dallas. It’s an excellent book, and I would recommend it to
adults, who are its intended audience. But if I had read it as a child, it
might have given me nightmares. Although the vilest action takes place offstage,
the issue of child molestation is front and center.
Here’s
the thing. I first discovered Sandra Dallas as the writer of middle-grade
historical novels. I read the four she has published so far and enjoyed them immensely.[1]
Although she didn’t start writing children’s books until after my daughter was
grown, they are the kind that I would have encouraged Caroline to read (not
that she needed encouragement). So after reading one or two myself to make sure
they were suitable, I would have let her purchase them based on the author’s
name alone.
The
description of Little Souls makes it clear that it has adult
protagonists, which is normally the mark of a book written for adults. I don’t
remember what Caroline was reading when she was twelve, but some twelve-year-old
girls read books with adult protagonists, such as Jane Eyre or Pride
and Prejudice. And although Caroline was mature for her age, Little
Souls would have come as a shock.
This
is in no way a criticism of Sandra Dallas, who may not have even thought about
it. In any event, I have no evidence or even any reason to believe that anyone
has been misled. I will continue to read her books and to recommend them, with
the caveat that children should make sure they are the audience before picking one
up
Still,
I’m glad that I chose to use a pen name for my children’s books.
[1] The Quilt Walk; Hardscrabble;
Someplace to Call Home; and Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky.
All four are middle-grade fiction and suitable for those readers.
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