Ruiz Zafon; YA Best Seller
For years, it’s been the accepted wisdom that best sellers from other countries do not translate to the US. Carlos Ruiz Zafon is one of a new breed of writers that is disproving that old theory. His literary thriller, The Shadow of the Wind, called “the most successful novel in Spanish publishing history after Don Quixote” appeared on best seller lists when it was published here, as did his next book, The Angel’s Game. Originally from Spain, Ruiz Zafon lives in both Los Angeles, where he has been a script writer, and Barcelona.
He actually made his start as a YA novelist. His first book, The Prince of Mists, was published for young adults in 1993, when he was in his twenties. An award winner and best seller in Spain, it was recently published here and repeats the magic of his adult titles, landing on the 5/23 NYT Children’s Chapter Books list at #7. With touches of gothic and supernatural horror as well as a page-turning adventure, it’s about a boy and his two sisters, who relocate with their family from the city to a small town on the Spanish Coast to escape WWII, only to discover themselves in grave danger.
The author published three more YA titles in Spain. All have been acquired by LBYR for publication in the US, to be released on a yearly basis
 |
|
Hachette Audio; UNABR; 9781607883722;$ 24.98
BBC; UNABR; 5 CDs; May 20109781607887676; $44.99
OverDrive WMA Audiobook