Korman's writing flows and is easily read. He includes considerable dialogue between characters and his use of imagery, personification, and figurative language provide the reader with a clear picture of events:
From The 6th Grade Nickname Game:
“Jeff knew he should already have a dozen possible nicknames for someone so different — her little pug nose; tiny freckles like microdots…” (p. 14). “Cassandra was waiting in the kitchen as they came up the creaking stairs, sneezing and spitting, and white with dust” (p. 32). From Everest Book One: The Contest: "The quiet of the slumbering sports complex was shattered by a deafening clatter. It woke every sleeper" (p. 64). "The metal spikes bit into blue glacial ice as they shouldered their packs" (p. 105). | From This Can't be Happening at Macdonald Hall!: Even in his first book, Korman used humor and puns incredibly well. He was able to define several words for the reader, thus increasing the reader's background knowledge. "...'You keep ants?' Bruno asked in disbelief. 'Yes,' the boy replied. 'I'm an entomologist. My world is the insect world.' Bruno nodded understandingly. 'I always thought you were a bit buggy, Elmer (p. 16)." "The boys emerged into the yard and melted into the crowd (p. 3)." "Instantly an amazing plan sprouted in Bruno's fertile mind..." (p. 30). From The 39 Clues: Book Eight The Emperor's Code: "But this was far more colorful than any part of Boston - a kaleidoscope of imperial yellow, rich red, and glittering gold leaf. Everything screamed wealth and luxury beyond imagination" (pp 16-17). |
The main differences in Korman's writing style from his first book to recent titles are due to maturation. His early books were well developed, but his vocabulary was limited. Korman now uses much more detail and more descriptive language. His later books are well-researched and often read like non-fiction. His early books were written from his personal experiences.
Comparison
When reading Gordon Korman's adventure books, I immediately thought of Gary Paulsen's books. Both authors write about youth in life-threatening situations in which tremendous growth and character development occurs. Even though the topics are similar, the authors have a very different writing style. Whereas Paulsen tends to create characters who are isolated and must depend on only themselves for survival, Korman writes about self-growth and collaboration within a group. Survival, in Korman's books, depends on the strengths of the entire group.
Paulsen also tends to be more graphic in his descriptions of crises, but Korman is more likely to interject subtle humor.
Though Paulsen's books are hugely popular and well-written, I prefer Korman's.
