A Non-Battle: Dahl beats Rowling as young adults’ favourite author

Fight! Fight!

Who do those young’uns aged 16 to 34 love most of all?

 

…. or…. ….

Ding — we have a winnah!

That “Roald Dahl remains the most popular children’s author among young adults” seems one of those well-duh moments to me. More-so as it was the conclusion of a survey, “… of 16- to 34-year-olds [that] was commissioned by ITV3 to mark its Roald Dahl weekend on September 22.” according to this Guardian article.

Please. Is there no other non-news around to report? Must the Guardian be a shill for ITV3?

First of all — I can tell you that those 34 year-olds I taught twenty-five years ago when they were in 4th grade were wild for Dahl. Rowling hadn’t even made her famous train trip back then. For them to vote her as number one means they’d have to have read her as adults. And while there are many indeed reading her, that doesn’t mean they are going to pick her as their favorite. More likely they will remember what they read and loved as kids.

And secondly, what sort of survey is this anyway? One that was commissioned in connection with a Dahl event? What would have happened if he hadn’t come out #1?

And thirdly, since when are 34 year-olds “young adults” anyway? The Printz Committee thinks they are people aged 12 to 18. Psychologists evidently think that even 40 is YA.

Whatever. Guess ITV3 got the publicity for their Dahl weekend that they were looking for.