Here’s a comment from mella2750 that I got recently that I found interesting:
Be forewarned if you do go! I was in charge of the author signings at Book Expo a few years ago, and Ann was there. I talked to her and she signed her then-new book, but she did NOT want to talk about the BSC. When I brought it up, her eyes narrowed and she looked away, and I backed off. Maybe she was having an off day, but be prepared!
I recall reading in an interview that Ann felt that she was more well-known now for her post-BSC books than the BSC. That had always struck me as wishful thinking on her part. Sure, her books have been well-received and she’s won numerous awards, and Main Street has been doing well enough for Scholastic to justify its continued existence. Still, for those of us who were active readers of middle grade books for girls between 1986-2000, and perhaps for people who are younger but discovered the books in libraries or had older siblings, Ann M. Martin’s name will conjure up the BSC before anything else.
Now, obviously the BSC isn’t the most high-quality fare out there. And while I haven’t read any of her post-BSC stand alone novels, Main Street is of markedly higher quality than BSC. But still. The revenue from BSC has given Ann a lot in life. I’m interested by this response from Ann, from her unwillingness to be associated with BSC.
Thoughts?
