I must say that that really bugs me. I think books should always be published using the language that the author intended, rather than "localized" for different markets.

Reading the American versions of the "Harry Potter" books, to use an example, makes me cringe. They are such quintessentially "British" books, and so very much set in Britain, that I can't bear to see "parking lot" instead of "car park", "mail slot" instead of "letter box", etc. Sorry, but we have car parks in Britain, not parking lots . I actually think that it's rather insulting to the American readership to assume that the won't be able to cope with British expressions.

Similarly, when I read an American book, I want it to stay "American", not have its spellings changed to British English.

Sorry - a bit of a "rant", I know. It just hit one of my buttons, reading that .

you expect an 10 year old to know what a car park is? I assume it would be a Park where cars play, and the Letter box is something my mom keeps under her bed.