Four of the short-listed books come from the middle of a series. Two of the books are the first in a new series. This may be called the J. K. Rowling effect. Books are no longer published individually, or even in trilogies, but in entire series. There are obvious positives to this, particularly from the publishers point of view, but, less cynically, series will hook the young reader and encourage more reading. On a smaller scale than Harry Potter, avid readers will be kept in suspense until the publication of the next book in these series.
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