There are no books

for intelligent twelve year old boys who need large print...or not that I can find.

Before you say "yes, there are" I am not talking about the books for dyslexic children. I have been hunting for novels that other boys or girls that age who enjoy reading might want to read. I have been looking for something like that as a gift, not a "this has to be read for school" sort of book.

There are large print books in our local library, quite a lot of them. They are all in the "adult" section. Many of them are light romance or westerns or books from the first half of last century. For years a staid (or perhaps "prim and proper") committee at the Royal Society for the Blind decided which books would be made available in large print. There were many things which were considered "unsuitable" - because of the content. I remember a friend of mine commenting on this. She spent years reading to her severely visually impaired partner. One reason to do so was because he wanted books that were considered to be "not the sort of thing the blind should be hearing about".  

I believe that attitude has changed somewhat but the range of books is still, inevitably, limited. What concerns me more is the lack of books for younger readers. I spent some hours searching the internet for something - and came up with nothing. There was not even a whisper of one with a Downunder setting. 

Reading a book using one of the magnifying or other devices now available is not the same thing. It is not the same as being given a new, just for you, book and feeling the feel of it or smelling that "new book" smell that awakens the taste buds of imagination. 

I went to our local independent bookshop and talked to one of the staff. It was something new to her. "I'll see if Gardner's can come up with anything Cat" was the best she could do. In the midst of the Christmas rush I doubt she will even remember. I will remind her next year.

The market for such books will not be big but it is possible to do things that could not once be done...perhaps it is time we did.

For other purposes I also looked at "wordless picture books". Most of them don't come close to what I have in mind. They still rely on language and, all too often, prior knowledge of a story. It is just possible something can be done about that though. I can at least think about that as I am packing and sorting - because everyone has a right to read in their own way.