fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3035 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3035 ⌋

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I certainly get what you mean, and frankly, I'd just think there would not be enough elementary school age kids who COULD read (and enjoy) Gone with the Wind, let WOULD read it.

But I don't know, man. Some books just get kids into reading. Hunger Games is ultra violent, I agree. But it's also a YA book, and fifth and sixth graders are totally equipped to handle that. I don't think reading a violent book is the same as even watching a violent show or playing a violent game, it's its own experience. More than that, I think as a librarian you should want to hook kids on reading, and they want to read stuff that's enjoyable, or that they can be passionate about, or even become fans of.

I mean, in third grade I was reading Animorphs. Looking back, that was way violent and as an adult I could say "no, not appropriate". But it was exciting to me, it hooked me on reading, it made me passionate about books.

Obviously there is a line, but I'd think young adult books, especially pop culture YA books, are certainly not bad to have in an elementary library. Especially since YA books will almost indefinitely conclude with some kind of moral lesson about being good, and characters wanting to be good. I mean it isn't Fight Club or something. reading the Hunger Games with any kind of understanding of the plot isn't teaching anyone that violence is good. Since it's treated as a bad thing, I guess I think there's even less of a dilemma.

YA=Young Adult, which is usually considered for ages 16-25. Ten year olds are NOT young adults. They're not teenagers. They're children. It's more the concept in the books I'm worried about than violence itself. I mean, I have Lord of the Rings on the shelves, even though I know most of kids aren't going to be able to read it. I have Goosebump books (which aren't violent, it's more suspensul than gorey, I've read a few), I have non fiction books about war and weapons--but the non fic is all age appropriate. I know LTs who won't carry Goosebumps books--which are written for the age group.

It's the same with Animorphs--it is written FOR that age group--probably more 4s and 5s than 3s, but you are not comparing similar works.

Being able to read isn't just about processing the words on the page. It's also about comprehension, understanding what you're reading. I'm not sure that most 10 year olds are going to understand a dystopia. Sure they've probably seen the movies, but how much do they understand?

I have a lot of kids take out Harry Potter when they're no where near that reading/comprehension level...and I let them (The only group I outright keep away from chapter books are the primaries--they barely know their alphabet.) Unless I get specific instructions from the classroom teacher, I generally don't stop a kid from signing out whatever they want, whether they can read it or not. I'm pretty sure that encourages a love of reading, too. I don't need to have age inappropriate books in my library to encourage my kids to read.

And if I did have HG in my library, I wouldn't be able to have them out on the shelf, it'd be a behind the counter thing--which I won't do. I hated it when it was done to me in junior high.

The ALA considers YA books to be for as young as 10 years old.
"When the term first found common usage in the late 1960’s, it referred to realistic fiction that was set in the real (as opposed to imagined), contemporary world and addressed problems, issues, and life circumstances of interest to young readers aged approximately 12-18. Such titles were issued by the children’s book divisions of American publishers and were marketed to institutions – libraries and schools – that served such populations.
While some of this remains true today, much else has changed. In recent years, for example, the size of this population group has changed dramatically. ... The size of this population segment has also increased as the conventional definition of “young adult” has expanded to include those as young as ten and, since the late 1990s, as old as twenty-five."
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/guidelines/whitepapers/yalit

So, yes, some YA literature is perfectly appropriate for 10-12 year olds. Heck, I was reading adult literature by the time I was 12. I'm not saying you need to include Hunger Games in your library, but I very much disagree with the idea that YA literature is for ages 16 to 25. (As would my YA literature class when I was going for my MLS.)

Young Adult is considered for ages 16-24? I've never heard that in my life. In fact, I dare say that's blatantly untrue. Young Adult is targeted for adolescents. Teenagers, preteens, even. You're suggesting a fourteen year old is too young to read the Hunger Games? Despite a fourteen year old being a freshman in high school? I'm sorry, I really think you're wrong here.

I mean, absolutely, books that are simply too advanced in terms of reading comprehension aren't best placed in a primary school library. But I'm fairly certain plenty of sixth graders would be more than comfortable reading The Hunger Games.

And I'm not sure what you mean by kids not understanding dystopia? I reckon it's fairly simple to understand, especially how most YA books would portray them (which would tend to be fairly simple, good guys and bad guys). They're not preparing themselves to write a doctoral thesis, after all.

I mean honestly, your school sounds pretty damn strict. My primary school library had plenty of young adult books, especially if they were popular ones.

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