The books may be pocket-sized, but the list of titles in this format is growing: Penguin Young Readers has announced the release of nine children’s and YA titles, from classic coming-of-age stories to contemporary bestsellers, in the company’s Penguin Mini line. S.E. Hinton’s groundbreaking 1967 YA novel, The Outsiders, which has sold 16 million copies worldwide, kicks off the 2019 roster on July 23, along with modern favorites by Ally Condie, Marie Lu, and Ruta Sepetys.
First introduced in the Netherlands in 2009, the patented format was created and produced by Dutch printer and publisher Royal Jongbloed. The books are designed with a horizontal layout, hinged cover, and ultra-thin paper to present an unabridged text with a trim size smaller than 5x3 inches and weighing an average of 5 ounces. With the book fitting in the palm of one hand, readers can turn the pages with the flick of a thumb—a motion like scrolling on a phone screen.
The Penguin Minis debuted in the U.S. in 2018 with four titles by bestselling YA author John Green: Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and The Fault in Our Stars.
Hinton said in a statement, “Every year, a new wave of teenagers discovers The Outsiders, and I’m excited for this new format to be yet another way for readers to meet Ponyboy and his friends.”
The lineup of Penguin Minis hitting shelves this summer and fall includes Matched by Ally Condie (Dutton), The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Viking), Legend by Marie Lu (Putnam), and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (Philomel), out on July 23; and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Let It Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, and Heidi by Johanna Spyri, on sale October 22.
