For more than 100 years, series books have dominated the reading of children, whatever their ages.
There is nothing mysterious about why Tom Swift (1890), Elsie Dinsmore (1900), The Bobbsey Twins (1920), Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys (1930) or the Baby Sitters Club (1980) were eagerly snatched from bookstore and library shelves. The characters who moved from adventure to adventure were endearing and close friends.
There was something comfortable about stories repeated in familiar settings with a style that had been previously appreciated and enjoyed. That the "Little Women" grew into womanhood or the children in "The Little House on the Prairie" began their own homes was expected and applauded by young readers.
It is no different today. Children seek out the sequels to popular stories such as "Shiloh" or "Hatchet" and, with their parents, pre-order or stand in line to obtain the next installments of "Harry Potter."
Two recent series, "Captain Underpants" (Scholastic) and "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (HarperCollins) attest to the continued popularity of books published in a series. Both are led by numbskull adventures as well as tongue-in-cheek wittiness just right for 7- to 12-year-old readers.
"The Adventures of Captain Underpants" (Dav Pilkey), the epic tale of a briefly clad school principal accidentally transformed into a cape-wearing hero by two mischievous students, first appeared in 1997. A month later, the sequel, "Captain Underpants: The Attack of the Talking Toilets," was published. Four subsequent books later, the unorthodox and scantily dressed protagonist still delights readers.
Captain Underpants began as a cartoon character written and drawn by Pilkey as a second-grader to entertain his classmates. To the consternation of his teachers, "l was spending so much time out in the hallway," as he explains his punishment for being the class clown, "that they put a little desk out there for me."
When he was in college, he was encouraged to write his witty stories and illustrate for children. So he did, with the superhero making edible school meals in "Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredible Naughty Cafeteria Ladies From Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds)" and encountering a smart but monstrous woman in "Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman."
More than 10 million copies of the series are in print — featuring long titles, sparse but subversive text, flip-o-rama and cartoon-type illustrations that explode across the pages.
In an interview with Publisher's Weekly, Pilkey said that he is gratified that many TV-watching children have become readers because of his books. To him, this is a bonus. He adds, "I just wanted to make them laugh." He has certainly done that!
Lemony Snicket (a k a Daniel Handler) writes the "Series of Unfortunate Events," recalling what he would like to have read as a child: humor, intrigue and rambunctious characters. The recent eighth book in the series, "The Hostile Hospital," continues the misadventures of the orphaned Baudelaire children as they try to better their ill-fated lives. They spend time in the Heimlich Hospital experiencing unnecessary surgery, a frightening intercom system and unordered anesthesia.
Snicket, using a mock Victorian setting, entices readers with reverse psychology: "If you read one book this season, make it something else."
Handler, who doesn't consider Snicket a pseudonym — "more of another personality" — writes in an ambiguous voice, often using made-up or uncommon words, dialogue that smacks of sarcasm but carefully crafted prose. While the themes are not blatant, the separation between good and evil is the issue that drives each book. Young readers will not miss the subtlety. Adding to the humor are black-and-white illustrations by Brett Helquist, a former Orem, Utah, resident.
Handler/Snicket is currently working on the ninth in the series, "Coniferous Carnival" and "The Unauthorized Biography of Lemony Snicket." Nickelodeon Films has recently purchased rights to the "Series of Unfortunate Events."