I had great fun re-reading a couple of old favourites, Robinson Crusoe and Dracula, newly re-issued and aimed at the YA audience by Alma Classics. Here's how the review begins:
I suspect that neither of these two great classics has ever been out of print since their respective first appearances in 1719 and 1897, and a quick look at Amazon reveals that there are numerous editions available today. Do we need any more? Well, yes, if you are talking about what Alma Classics has done with these new reprints. Essentially, they have repackaged them for younger readers. This involves not just new, eye-catching covers and a smattering of new illustrations in the text, but also a section at the end called Extra Material for Young Readers. I’m not sure what age group they have in mind, but my thirteen year old grandson – admittedly quite a precocious reader – is reading Dracula at the moment and will appreciate the extra information about the writer, the book, and the characters, and may find the glossary helpful too.
You can read the rest of my review here.
