Protests at sex and drugs in teen publishing sensation

The publishers of the Harry Potter novels are to risk their wholesome reputation by targeting a new set of books, branded "Sex and the City for teenagers", at girls as young as 14 years old.

Gossip Girl, a set of four novellas following the fortunes of a group of rich and glamorous New York high school friends, features heavy drinking and swearing, references to drug taking and, of course, much talk of sex.

In one scene, a 16-year-old girl is described "gaping at" her boyfriend's "hard-on" as she prepares to surrender her virginity to him. Another involves a gang of teenage boys joking about a different girl's expulsion from college for allegedly having group sex in her bedroom.

The content of the novels is provocative from the outset. The opening chapter of book one, called simply Gossip Girl, opens with the main character Blair swigging from a crystal tumbler of her mother's vintage scotch.

Within the first 30 pages alone, conversations between the girl friends cover topics as diverse as cosmetic surgery, sex, heroin and Prozac.

News of the impending release of the books by Bloomsbury is bound to prove controversial.

But Emma Matthewson, who is editing the Gossip Girl range for its UK publication early next year, says she believes the novels responsibly tackle issues of concern to today's teenagers, while delivering "fast-paced, very easy, fun reads".

"Most teenage girls have thought about relationships, boys and shopping, the kinds of themes covered in these books," she said. "As soon as I started reading the first one, I thought, 'this is exactly what you need to do if you really want to prove to young people that books are exciting'.

"We're looking at an age range of 14-plus, because the books do contain strong language, and there are references to sex and things like smoking pot in Central Park."

Asked about the sexual content of the books, which include at least two scenes in which Blair and boyfriend Nate are thwarted as they prepare to make love for the first time, she said: "There are no gratuitous sex scenes. A couple of characters do sometimes get on the bed together and cuddle, but it doesn't get any further than that.

"We do want to be responsible, but at the same time there's a lot of talk of sleeping with boyfriends and the main character talks about losing her virginity on her 17th birthday. That's what girls and boys of that age think about."

However, pressed on the strong similarities between the Upper East Side party set inhabited by the girls and the scenario of Sex and the City, she added: "That's how we would think of it, as a junior Sex and the City. Junior in the sense that we don't have full-blown sex."

Since it first hit the shelves in America in April last year, the Gossip Girl range has become something of a publishing sensation. The novels, by US author Cecily von Ziegesar, were granted an initial print run of 35,000, but it soon became apparent this was nowhere near enough to sate demand and, to date, more than 60,000 copies have been sold.

As in the US, the launch of the range in Britain next March will be accompanied by a self-consciously hip promotional campaign aimed squarely at the teen market. Thousands of postcards will be distributed through cinemas, cafés and bars, while samples will be available through Claire's Accessories and Top Shop. There will be a strong internet marketing campaign; in Gossip Girlmuch of the dialogue takes place via email and text messaging.

Family groups have already expressed strong reservations about the books. Arthur Cornell, the chairman of the educational charity Family and Youth Concern, said he feared they would "exploit" vulnerable and confused teenagers for commercial gain.

"We have to decide as a culture whether we are involved in a duty of care to young people or whether we see them as a market for exploitation," he said. "There's a danger that, based on the actions of a minority of young people, this kind of thing helps create a new normality, and puts pressure on others to do the same."

His views were echoed by Peter Luff, Conservative MP for Mid Worcestershire, who six years ago tabled a private member's Bill calling for a clampdown on the sexual content of teenage magazines.

"The question is, are they portraying sex, drinking and drug-taking in a glamorous or a cautionary way?It sounds to me that they are not really engaged in a serious educational purpose, and they are trying to make money out of a vulnerable group of people, and probably increasing their anxieties as a consequence."