At what age do you let your teens read "adult" books?

[hmacmahony]

No, that is not the how the "sex" scene in twilight happens.
It does not happen until the 4 book, they are MARRIED, which made me happy, and she enjoys it, he does as well. But, him being a vampire who has super human strenght hurts her (not on purpose, just brusing), and won't do it again because he thinks he will hurt her. (eventually he does)

So, while I am not sure I would let my kids read twilight at 13, we are not at that bridge. And my almost 8 year old has actually asked (and could read it), I have put it off at this point. She is happy with harry potter, and the magic series for now. We shall see, I suppose I don't mind as long as she feels she is ready.

FWIW my mom never censored my reading, and I was reading some "adult" books in elementary school.

If she felt it necessary due to content, she would read the book first, then discuss it with me while I was reading it ("Where are you? Oh, what did you think about X" that kind of thing)...sort of a private book club.

I have always appreciated her doing that for me.

ETA: Twilight question, I haven't read it but I heard that the main characters' first sexual encounter is while the girl is unconscious due to the pain or something, is this true? If so...that's not an appropriate display of "love" in my book, but akin to rape...yet 13 year olds are reading it voraciously.

 

[CheshireSmile]

I think it's something that should be discussed between you and your daughter certainly. I read The Lovely Bones when I was in high school, and it made me uncomfortable. I know I would not have enjoyed it at 13. There are so many wonderful books out there, but it's so easy to get attracted to what's 'popular' now because of book-to-movie films or Oprah's Book Club, etc. I'm a very avid reader, but not immune to pop fiction (I must say, those are usually the books I end up being most disappointed in, not because they're not good, but because people could find so many better books if they actually took the time to look for themselves).

 

[LauraP22]

I firmly believe in allowing children to read adult books when they can read well enough to do so. I started reading Stephen King in the 5th grade.

 

[Alesia]

ETA: Twilight question, I haven't read it but I heard that the main characters' first sexual encounter is while the girl is unconscious due to the pain or something, is this true? If so...that's not an appropriate display of "love" in my book, but akin to rape...yet 13 year olds are reading it voraciously.

Absolutely not true.

I don't want to give anything away for those that haven't read it yet, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

 

[rainydayplay]

As a teacher, I see so many kids who hate reading. If your daughter loves reading, and that is what she wants to read, I say go for it. Our kids are exposed to so much filth on the TV and from their "friends" at school and even on the news.
At 13, I doubt she is reading anything she doesn't already know about.

Ditto from another teacher (and I teach middle school, if that makes a difference!)

We use Accelerated Reader in our school...between DIBELS (elementary level standardized test where the goal seems to be for the kids to call words as quickly as they can, never mind whether or not they actually understand what they've read) and being forced to do Accelerated Reader (to the point that one teacher in the elementary school that the kids where I teach come to us from paddles the students if they don't take at least one quiz on a book per week), they come to me absolutey HATING to read. I hate it that the librarian has decided to quit letting the 7th & 8th graders check out books that are marked "Upper Grades", because there are so many students that try to check out books and then can't because they are marked UG.

When I was around 11 or 12, I was tired of reading Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High and (other than my mother's more trashy romance novels) I was not censored. I still love to read today, usually outreading all of my students. When my daughter is that age, I probably won't censor too much (if anything) -- I'll answer any questions she has, and if I think something is questionable, I'll read it first.

Many books (Lovely Bones NOT included) are reviewed by teenagers on flamingnet.com. They give a rating as far as what age they think is appropriate. One of my student's mother is really good about checking out the rating on flamingnet before she allows her daughter to read the book. It won't work for everything

 

[rainydayplay]

Scott Westerfeld's books are popular and really good for that point (Uglies).

I've read the Uglies series and thought it was pretty good reading. The last book in the series was disappointing comparatively.

I'd also like to point out that James Patterson writes some YA fiction that is really popular (Maximum Ride series, Daniel X, etc.)

ETA: Twilight question, I haven't read it but I heard that the main characters' first sexual encounter is while the girl is unconscious due to the pain or something, is this true? If so...that's not an appropriate display of "love" in my book, but akin to rape...yet 13 year olds are reading it voraciously.

I think a redeeming quality for Twilight is that the male main character is completely against sex until marriage. When I have yet to have a year teaching where I haven't had at least one student pregnant and saw at least 5 members of the senior class pregnant (with two ready to burst at the time of graduation and no telling how many younger students either pregnant or just had a baby), I think it's fabulous that there is a book that is so popular with that age group was so adamant about waiting until marriage.

The only one that I tell my students (7th/8th grade) that I think they should wait until they are older to read is the 4th book of the Twilight series...but if their parents approve, I'll still let them read it (and parents who ask, I'll tell them upfront what's in the book.)

 

[LadyShea]

Thank you to those who cleared up the misinformation I had been given on Twilight

 

[Avonlady1001]

The Twilight books are pretty clean. There is no outright sex (in the 4th book it is implied, but there is no real graphic detail), no cursing (they might say the sh word once, can't really remember)...the author is very religious, and holds to her beliefs in her writing...no sex til marriage. The series was written for a teen audience & has won several awards such as the American Library Association "Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults" and "Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers".

I think the series is safe for young teens...would I let my 8yr old read it? Depends on my 8yr old, but perhaps not.

 

[disneymami]

I'm a high school librarian grades 9-12. We don't put any restrictions on the students when they check out a book. If a student came to me and asked my opinion of a book I want to learn more about her and what she likes and dislikes before I recommend a book. Sometimes a teacher will come with a student who is not reading at grade level and will ask me for a "reluctant reader" type book. As for this book you are asking I tend to go with the experts. The author is well reviewed. I want students to read well crafted book where they can expand thier vocabulary. Which is why I like reading books versus watching the movie. The movies put images into your mind whereas books help you form your own impression. As with my DD, twins age 8, I know what they read and I'm involved in their understanding of what they read. This is a process that I as a parent will do until they are 18 and they make their own decisions. You must remember that teens will read/access/watch what they want when they are on thier own. The library allows them this access. Staying on top of what she reads and helping her understand the broader implications of what she reads will help her a great deal.

 

[IDoDis]

OP here. Thanks so much for all of the replies. I am also a teacher and so is my DH (both at the elementary level). This is our first experience with the middle school age as far as books go.

I have read The Lovely Bones and DD knows I have it. She read all of the Twilight books when she was 12. I had no problem with the content of those as they were written for her age group. She also read "Speak." I had no idea about the content of that book, but thought it was for her age group so I didn't look into it. Goes to show what I know! She recently finished "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" which was one of my favorites when I was a teen.

Given the advice, I think I'll let her read the book then. I guess the issue I had with it was that the girl who was murdered in the book is so close to her age that I didn't want all of that stuff to freak her out. Last year a teenager from our neighborhood high school came home for lunch one day and was raped and beaten by an intruder (he may have been in the house when she arrived) so badly that she is now severely cognitively impaired. DD went to school with the girl's younger brother and still talks about this event. For a while she was freaked out about coming home from school each day (she gets home before the rest of us because she gets out of school earlier). I was afraid that the rape/murder in the book would scare her when she was home alone.

It's so hard these days to let kids just be kids. I keep telling her that she'll have the rest of her life to be an adult in a few short years and to just enjoy being a kid now. They just grow up too fast, I guess.

 

[DVCLiz]

There is actually a ton on "YA" (Young Adult) literature out there. One of my girlfriends is a YA specialist for the library system. Scott Westerfeld's books are popular and really good for that point (Uglies). Twilight is written for that age (it is, however, very readable trash fiction - not terribly redeeming).

Here is the Young Adult Library Services Website which lists their top ten books each year for 12-18 year olds:

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm

LOL - Crisi - I'm actually a Children's Librarian (retired) so I know all about the YA books!! I was actually thinking of Twilight, etc. as the "fat chapter books" the OP's child had been reading, so I was progressing from those YA titles into real "adult" literature.

You can certainly keep a good reader busy with YA literature until you are ready for her to read regular adult fiction - I guess my point was that there's not that much difference between the "mature" stuff she would be exposed to in the typical YA novel vs. the typical adult contemporary fiction title. For every rape and murder of a "Lovely Bones" type of book there's a family situation, mental illness, emotional crisis, etc. to be dealt with by a protagonist in a YA title. Most of them aren't just a sunny picture of everyday family life, after all.

On the opposite side of the coin, I have always loved my YA books and I reread several of them every year!!! I just finished a rereading of "A Girl of the Limberlost" because I found it in paperback upstairs on my bookshelf and weeded it out for a local book sale, then started thinking about it and downloaded it on my Kindle (for $1.59!) What a sweet old fashioned charming story. Now I'm going to reread Freckles to get my Gene Stratton Porter fill for the summer. I may reread all my Trixie Beldens next!!!

 

[sk!mom]

I may reread all my Trixie Beldens next!!!

That's a blast from my past! I loved Trixie.

 

[DVCLiz]

That's a blast from my past! I loved Trixie.

I have found so many great children's and YA books available on the Kindle - this is the summer of "clean out the attic, the garage, the bookshelves" so I am really torn...I loved Trixie with such a passion I can't bring myself to get rid of them ever!!!! I did find the Nancy Drews on the Kindle, though, so that will clear a shelf or two...

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Oh my gosh, I was reading Jackie Collins books when I was 13-14. I would definetely let her read Lovely Bones. It's really not too graphic (from what I remember).

 

[jama]

My DD12 ..going in 8th grade ..loved My Sister's Keeper bu Jodi Picault...it is also being made into a movie..to be released this month.
Your DD may enjoy it also.

 

[WDWorBUST]

I have found so many great children's and YA books available on the Kindle - this is the summer of "clean out the attic, the garage, the bookshelves" so I am really torn...I loved Trixie with such a passion I can't bring myself to get rid of them ever!!!! I did find the Nancy Drews on the Kindle, though, so that will clear a shelf or two...

I LOVED Trixie Belden. I just hope I can find them for when my DD is old enough to read them....she's only 5 now

 

[DVCLiz]

I LOVED Trixie Belden. I just hope I can find them for when my DD is old enough to read them....she's only 5 now

The first several are being reprinted in hardback and Amazon has them. I have the whole series in paperback - I bought most of them when I started work as a Children's Librarian in the 80s and I found the last couple on Ebay. I can't tell you how much I loved them!! Gleeps, Moms!

 

[jwhtewolfd]

Wow. Great memories. When I was younger than your DD, I read through the entire Black Stallion series multiple times. They were my FAVORITE. I still go back sometimes and read the Chronicles of Narnia. Only takes a week to tear through them now, but I used The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to tutor many a reluctant summer reader with great success. At your DD's age, I think I was reading Robin Cook. In fact, IIRC, I'm pretty sure I bought my first Robin Cook book, "Contagion" from the Scholastic book club at school.

I'd let her read whatever she's interested in. If she's not comfortable with it, she'll stop reading. Heck, I never even bothered to pick up a Stephen King book. I know I won't like it! Just keep in mind how lucky you are that she enjoys reading. I was one of those kids that always wanted another book at bedtime, but my younger brother He wouldn't even LET us read to him at night. I couldn't figure it out.

 

[DopeysMommy]

As a teacher, I see so many kids who hate reading. If your daughter loves reading, and that is what she wants to read, I say go for it. Our kids are exposed to so much filth on the TV and from their "friends" at school and even on the news.
At 13, I doubt she is reading anything she doesn't already know about.

I am a librarian, and I totally agree with this. But, the decision is still yours and your daughter's. If she is having a tough time finding young adult books, talk to the librarians who can direct her to other books. But, please be aware a lot of young adult books are lot more graphic than Lovely Bones.

I vote for letting her read at will and keeping the lines of communication open.

 

[IDoDis]

Wow. Great memories. When I was younger than your DD, I read through the entire Black Stallion series multiple times. They were my FAVORITE. I still go back sometimes and read the Chronicles of Narnia. Only takes a week to tear through them now, but I used The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to tutor many a reluctant summer reader with great success. At your DD's age, I think I was reading Robin Cook. In fact, IIRC, I'm pretty sure I bought my first Robin Cook book, "Contagion" from the Scholastic book club at school.

I'd let her read whatever she's interested in. If she's not comfortable with it, she'll stop reading. Heck, I never even bothered to pick up a Stephen King book. I know I won't like it! Just keep in mind how lucky you are that she enjoys reading. I was one of those kids that always wanted another book at bedtime, but my younger brother He wouldn't even LET us read to him at night. I couldn't figure it out.

DD read all of the Chronicles of Narnia books when she was in the 3rd & 4th grade. She's read just about every Newberry book that she'd be interested in. She can devour a large book in a matter of days so it's hard to keep up. She read all 4 Twilight books in a span of between 2 and 3 weeks. Whenever new books come out, the hold times at the library are so long that either I end up buying the book for he,r or books get passed around from friend to friend at school. Now that it's summer though, there's not so much book sharing going on.