In the course I recently attended on writing for children I was introduced to the book “Boy Kills Man,” by Matt Whyman. Aimed at the 12+ reader, it caused quite a stir when it came out in 2003. It’s the story of a boy assassin in Medillin, Columbia.
This is a very powerful novel, the kind that sticks with you long after you finish it. It was so gripping that I read it at one sitting—not too hard since it’s only about 40,000 words. The author makes some interesting choices in the plot, one of which may go over the heads of some of the younger readers. I don’t want to give anything away, so let’s just say that he avoided the more obvious and predictable choices.
The writing workshop’s instructor, Lou Kuenzler, met the author and asked him whether he’d gone to Columbia to do research. No, he said, he’d watched a documentary and looked up a few things on the internet, that was the extent of his research! That might be worth remembering if you're the type who gets obsessed with research.
If you want to write for kids, this isn’t the typical book to use as a model, but it does show how the boundaries of children’s books have expanded.
