John Green goes compact

John Green has recently released mini versions of some of his previous books. The books have been shrunken down to fit inside a pocket or purse, but have lost no content. Only four of these books have been released: “An Abundance of Katherines,” “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Looking for Alaska,” and lastly, “Paper Towns.”

Green is an award-winning young adult writer who usually writes from the perspective of high school students. His books have won awards and achieved spots on The New York Times’ best seller list. Now his books are occupying the pockets of bookworms and Green fans alike.

The books themselves are promoted as being the size of your phone.  They measure 4.6 inches long and 3.1 inches wide. When the book is opened, the text flows in vertical lines instead of the usual horizontal manner; this means the page flips upwards instead of right to left like normal books. The book uses thin paper, almost like tracing paper to avoid bulkiness and reduce the size, which it needs seeing as each book is around 600 short pages. The books aren’t expensive either; they cost almost the same as their full sized counterparts and all four come in a box set costing a total of $48.

Previously, the only full length book that has shrunken to this size is the Bible. Many people have compared the structure of these books to the structure of these mini Bibles. The size is the same and they use the same paper; even the cover seems to be made in a similar manner.  

As someone who loves reading, miniature books are really helpful if you want to read on the go. With these books you won’t have to give up content for size. If you are one of those people who likes to always have a good book with them and you are a fan of young adult novels, these books are for you. I can see these books being the gateway for a new trend of pocket sized novels in the future.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars