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Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/14/2009 4:03:49 AM
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RJR_fan
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Let's help each other out here, by listing Y/A writers we should steer our kids away from.
My first candidate is Amelia Atwater Rhodes, a lesbian who brought that theme into the last page of a four-volume series that had held my 13 year old daughter enthralled until that point. Little Bertha was devastated by this betrayal on the part of a beloved mentor. This sucker-punch that ends Wolf Cry violates the implied contract between reader and writer.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/14/2009 10:04:13 AM
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garsyt
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I think books like this are PERFECT opportunities to discuss these topics with my kids rather than avoiding otherwise excellent writing.
Blessings,
Garsy
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/14/2009 10:15:24 AM
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Sideways
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I agree, garsy. Why not talk about the issue and reinforce your beliefs? It's not as if the 4-book series was filled with lesbian scenes; it's one page of an otherwise good series. To me, it seems like an overreaction that such a thing would be a sucker punch.
Does this author claim to be Christian? I took a quick look at her website, and there appears to be a lot of supernatural type stuff there, which doesn't bother me, but she ain't exactly Little House on the Prairie.
What is the implied contract between author and reader?
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/14/2009 1:02:28 PM
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stellaluna
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What sorts of things could cause an author to be avoided?
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/15/2009 1:35:41 PM
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horsepill
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Christopher Pike. In one book of his, I don't recall the specific title, within the first few pages, he had a character using God's name paired with d---.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/15/2009 3:26:58 PM
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heremainsfaithful
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This is an issue that some of my friends and I have gone round and round about. I believe that if someone has an abjection to a book, they should not read it. I believe if a parent has an objection to a book, they should discourage the child from reading it. I do not believe it is their job to tell MY child or 400 other sets of parents not to read it. I have caught so much flack from one of my friends over the dreaded Harry Potter series. She said they teach actual spells, but her source was a satirical website. Oh well. She took her kid home from a birthday party because they brought out Harry Potter cupcakes. To each his own.
My 13 year old daughter has read HP and the Twilight Series. She doesn't have any problems with witchcraft. She still has her faith. But she also has a great capacity to distinguish fantasy from reality. Some kids don't. She had to read The Outsiders for school. They say the D-word and she didn't like it. But we talked about the idea of literature. If you read the classics like Jane Eyre, there is some pretty bad stuff in there.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/15/2009 9:11:31 PM
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Sideways
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Sometimes I think the witchcraft/vampire is more of a red herring or sorts. I've enjoyed both the HP and Twilight series, but if my daughter were reading Twilight, the fact that Edward is a vampire is not the part that would bother me. Well, I don't know if we should get into a deep discussion about specifics, but I often find themes like "how are women treated/regarded?" or "what respect if any is shown by the youngsters towards adult authority?" to be much more concerning to me.
Am I making any sense?
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 3:21:48 AM
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tacitus
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It is fascinating how so many conservative Christians take witchcraft seriously (not all, I know). When I was growing up, it was pretty much taken as a given that witchcraft and magic were all just make-believe. I don't recall a single sermon or Sunday School lesson that even ventured to talk about the subject -- it just wasn't work talking about it.
So when I came to the USA many years later, I was somewhat amazed by how many Christians had fits over Harry Potter and other similar fictional depictions of magic. It was quite surprising how so many conservative Christians in the US (there aren't very many in the UK) are so more superstitious about such things.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 9:39:19 AM
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stellaluna
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I'm still waiting to find out from the OP what makes an author worthy of being avoided.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 11:53:46 AM
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heremainsfaithful
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tee hee
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 1:08:45 PM
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Restored_Heart
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Perhaps, instead of arguing over content.... maybe we should list books and rate them like the do movies for family friendliness. I know of some books written by some very good authors otherwise, that have things that I don't necessarily want my younger kids reading.
Examples,
Stardust - many middle school kids are reading, but it has a graphic sex scene, beware.
Also, as much as I and my kids love Tamora Pierce and her books, one of them leads a character into a lesbian relationship (and that really disappointed me), but for all of her other books, I have no hesitation allowing my children to read them. I have just mentioned it to my 11 yo that there is one book I want for her to wait to read, but that is it. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the specific book, but it is in the Winding Circle Mage series, but towards the end I think. (maybe Will of the Empress?)
That way parents can assist their children in making wise choices without vilifying any authors (or posters  )
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 1:20:42 PM
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heremainsfaithful
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Restored, this is about the wisest advice I have ever heard. It does require time and effort, but it makes such sense. The problem is that being permissive or being legalistic is just so much easier - doesn't take much thought. But I really like your idea. I remember when we read Lord of the Flies in high school a parent got really upset that one of the boys had relations with a pig. That does not happen in the book; she had just read it somewhere and wigged out. A little research would have saved her some backpedaling.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 3:11:27 PM
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uncabeeil
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quote:
Perhaps, instead of arguing over content.... maybe we should list books and rate them like the do movies for family friendliness. Forgive me if I sound cynical, but you'll wind up with the exact same argument for the same reasons, people's view of what is "family friendly" vary as much as the colors of the rainbow. What I feel is safe for family another would condemn as too liberal, or too conservative, or too, well, you get the idea. I speak from 7 years experience on these forums.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 4:28:51 PM
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Sideways
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Perhaps she means, list off any potential problems with the book and then let parents make the call if they are ok with those issues being in a book their children are reading.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 4:30:28 PM
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stateofgrace
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My kids have read part of the Harry Potter series. The oldest has read all of the Twilight series; the youngest has read the first two. I don't have a lot of problem with "fantasy context" witches and wizards IE Harry Potter (which, IMO, is more describing fantasy wizardry with the females being called witches).
But, also bear in mind, my youngest is now 16 1/2.
And, I see a difference between witchcraft in a more realistic context and a fantasy context. There's a fairly popular YA author out there who mixes the "fantasy context" and Wicca; and even had links to Wiccan spells on her web site. I don't remember who it was, but maybe I can find out.
As far as Stardust, I didn't think that the scene mentioned was very explicit. It's also a book intended more for mid-teens and up; not for middle school students.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 5:04:19 PM
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neuronstatic
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quote:
ORIGINAL: stateofgrace
As far as Stardust, I didn't think that the scene mentioned was very explicit. It's also a book intended more for mid-teens and up; not for middle school students.
The scene in question was quite explicit. In fact, I dare not quote it on this site. I would probably get my post deleted and a stern scolding from the moderators for its content. It was quite provocative.
I had serious issues with one of my daughter's middle school teachers a few years ago when she recommended this book to my daughter with very high praise.
So my daughter came across this section and kept reading. But here is the great part: she actually told me about it.
Imagine that, a teen coming to her dad and telling her she had issues with a part of a book. I let her keep reading it because it was only the one scene and she had already read it.
Stardust was one of the very few books that I would deny my other kids from reading until high school. Had it been recommended in high school, I may have had a different opinion. But I felt it was a bit much for an 8th grader.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 5:13:09 PM
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Corne
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quote:
ORIGINAL: RJR_fan
Little Bertha was devastated by this betrayal on the part of a beloved mentor. This sucker-punch that ends Wolf Cry violates the implied contract between reader and writer.
I don't understand why an author would be considered a mentor, or what the implied contract between reader writer would be.
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RE: Young Adult authors and books to avoid - 10/16/2009 7:16:26 PM
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heremainsfaithful
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As an author, I can tell you that legally there is no "contract" between an author and a reader, unless you count the idea that an author will give their best work in hopes that the reader will enjoy it. The book I wrote is a Christian novel (not for kids), but I would be willing to bet that there are parts of it that would bother some people. Not anything heretical or anything, just very honest and true to the story.
Again, if I do not want my child reading a book, I will exercise my parental authority, even if it is school related. But I will not be leading any marches on a school demanding the banning of books or anything. That is a very slippery slope, and in our current society it can quickly be turned around to ban anything connected to our Christian values.
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