NPR Interviews John Grisham

NPR's All Things Considered program interviewed John Grisham yesterday, to discuss his first young adult novel, Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, published last month by Dutton.

"It's not necessarily any easier than adult fiction," Grisham says. "It's easier in that it's shorter; the plot is not nearly as complicated. But the biggest challenge I found was the ability to try to tell the story without talking down to kids. Because I think that's what a lot of writers do, and they don't like it. Kids don't like it. They want you to treat them as your equal and tell them the story."

Listen to the entire interview below or on the NPR site, which also includes an excerpt from the book.

About Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer (from the publisher): In the small city of Strattenburg, there are many lawyers, and though he’s only thirteen years old, Theo Boone thinks he’s one of them. Theo knows every judge, policeman, court clerk—and a lot about the law. He dreams of being a great trial lawyer, of a life in the courtroom.

But Theo finds himself in court much sooner than expected. Because he knows so much—maybe too much—he is suddenly dragged into the middle of a sensational murder trial. A cold-blooded killer is about to go free, and only Theo knows the truth.

The stakes are high, but Theo won’t stop until justice is served.