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Thursday, May 12, 2011

Booking Through Thursday - Age Appropriate

Booking Through Thursday is a fun weekly question and answer session, based on books, of course.  This week, the question is:

Do you read books “meant” for other age groups? Adult books when you were a child; Young-Adult books now that you’re grown; Picture books just for kicks … You know … books not “meant” for you. Or do you pretty much stick to what’s written for people your age?

I have never worried about 'age appropriate' when reading my own books.  My parents didn't pay attention to what I was reading when I was young.  Although, I don't really recall reading anything and knowing that I shouldn't have been consuming it, either.  Sure, i read some books way ahead of my age group.  I believe that is pretty common when you're an advanced reader in school, though.

As an adult, I read whatever sounds good to me.  Admittedly, i don't read all that much of what is categorized as Young Adult fiction.  That's not because I don't think I should read it but more because I don't relate to the characters.  However, I just read Matched by Ally Condie and really liked the book.  And J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series are among my favorites.

I haven't had to worry about the age appropriateness of what my kids are reading yet.  I will pay attention to what they're reading as they get bigger, though.  I won't keep them from reading books that are advanced for them - if they wish to read them.  However, i will be sure that they are reading books with themes that are age appropriate for them and their emotional maturity.

2 comments:

  1. I read whatever I wanted as a kid. My mom cared and monitored what I read, but I would just read her books when she left the house. She eventually figured it out but she never said anything. I found out years later that she knew I was reading her books. I think it depends on the maturity of the person.

    I don't read YA either. I loved the Harry Potter series and enjoyed part of the Twilight series but I don't like the angst and drama of YA. I was a high school teacher for a couple of years before law school and I don't know how many girls thought there life was over because some guy didn't text them back in 2nd period. I feel that some YA is misleading and it frustrates me. The latter part of the Twilight series annoyed me for that reason. Uhh... so paternalistic.

    Anyways... to each its own?

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  2. In primary school I ordered MG/YA books from the book club - that was all they had on offer, so I guess I was a captive audience. :D But from high school on I was reading books meant for all ages. And today I read books for all ages as well.

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