Jackie, that is probaby why I love Twain so much. He used language to his fullest advantage. Invent new words. Use punctuation in ways that the reader will be able to understand exactly how you intended it to be read. Love him...and not just cuz I live near his birthplace. Funny how I've never read a complete work of his (like I said, I don't care to sit and read fiction much), but I love the exerts and his general remarks on life I'm familiar with. (and yes, I meant to use that preposition at the end of my sentence :lol: )
The important thing to teach her is your morals. We pre-read most of what my 9yo son reads because he is readin significantly above his grade level. The best way to approach it with her would be to have a conversation about how we always want to ensure what we do reflects those. Then you can talk to her about the fact that not everything is good, and not everything reflects goodness and it is improtant to you that she learns that. Tell her your desire to preread for her is not to keep her from reading, but to protect her from reading what isn't good. Tell her that as she gets older and learns how to judge what is right and good on her own, you will stop prereading her books.
Okay, so I am new on this forum. I have never been on a forum so please forgive me if I break any rules. I have just about read all of the comments. What an interesting thread. I am not sure that anyone has mentioned a Biblical principle behind all of this. Is there a scripture that can help us out? Opinions can help us out but I think our guide for everything has to be "what is the Biblical principle?" and then our personal preferences can follow through as long as they fall in the guides of what the Biblical principle is. Just a thought!!!
Welcome! Don't worry about "breaking" rules! I think the rule I try to apply is based on Phil. 4:8..."Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."
Perfect, Jackie! this is exactly what I need to share with dd. This verse will be prominently displayed near our library basket and on the tv remote! Thank you! and thank you, mjsalmon, for reminding me that I had the answer to this all along.
\o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ Those are people praising God for his perfect, timely answer delivered through dear sisters.
Be innocent to evil Be excelent in what is good and innocent to evil. Stick to the classics and dont feel bad, coming from a second gen. home schooler who dose not regret her mothers over protection.
I appreciated what one of the other posters wrote early on in the thread: Just because something happens in real life doesn't mean its suitable to expose ourselves to and dwell on it. I am very careful about what my kids read (even myself). Philip. 4:8 also comes to mind as to the scripture that applies to this situation.
I didn't read all of the comments, but like the ones I read, I agree you have to draw the line. I would NEVEr allow my 10 yo dd to read that. Matter of fact, I am very selective on what she reads and she knows our standards. If she gets something from the library and it even mentions divorce, she comes and asks me if it is ok to continue reading...lol! I have a good girl, I know But my point is, we are supposed to be sheltering them from the world. We are supposed to be seperate and not lust after the world and it's ways. I think you are doing the right thing if you prevent her from reading it.
Just throwing this out there: I'd let her read it......... After I read it. Then I would ask her questions about the parts you feel are inappropriate. This could be a great time to guide your daughter. And use verse to back up what you are saying. It would also be a great time to figure out what (if anything) your daughter liked about the book. They way you could steer her towards more approp. books. (For example if your daughter likes romance there are some great romance novels, classic and modern, out there.) Honestly if it is that bad and goes against what you are teaching at home, your daughter may not like it or may have issues with the book. It would certainly be a good way to let her learn not choose a book by its cover. I'm very lax on books. However I have boys and they love Star Wars, Dairy of a Wimpy Kid, Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and The Kane Chronicles), Harry Potter, Eragon and such. (They don't want teen romance or gossip girl type of books. But I'd at least think about letting them read it. My son wanted to read a book (Jack London) that I knew he wouldn't enjoy. I talked to him about it and tried to steer him in another direction but he wouldn't give in. When he was done, he failed his AR test, and told me I was right the book wasn't like the other JL he had read. A great example of not every work but an author is necessarily great.) I'll be honest Percy Jackson sat around our house forever before I picked it up and even looked through it. The same for Diary of a Wimpy kid. I just believe in letting children make small controlled mistakes. I'm often surprised on how my children do on their own.
What an interesting thread! I love all the passion around literature, here. My mother (a Quaker) made a passing effort to censor my reading. And not only do I remember every book she "banned" (The Cat Ate My Gym Shoes, the Princess Bride, the Clan of the Cave Bear), but I found a way to read them all, in short order. I remember sliding the Princess Bride off the top shelf of our bookcase, reading it, and then carefully replacing it so she'd never know. Yeah, I was bad. So, since I know my daughter will ultimately read what she chooses, I've instead tried to open a discussion with her instead. What's good literature? What's bad literature? Why does J.K. Rowling use the exact same descriptive phrases over and over again? Is Edward stalking Bella? Is this a healthy relationship, or is it seriously messed up? How would this work in the real world? My best friend works in a book store, so we get piles of remainders, which we like to pick through. There's a LOT of junk out there! My daughter's sat in on us giggling over some terrible stuff. (Did that writer REALLY just have his teenaged protagonist observe that his mom's still "hot for her age"? Eeewww!) My daughter's allowed to read what she likes, but she's going to hear my opinion on it. And my best friend's opinion. And her dad's opinion. We all have opinions, and we don't hesitate to share them. And the awesome thing about it all, is that she's starting to form her own opinions now. We came across "Flowers in the Attic" at a book store recently and while my friend and I were squealing, "Oh gosh, I remember that!!!" she was making faces and saying, "This is beyond disgusting. I can't believe they ever published a book about incest!" Then she took a look inside and added, "And it's badly written, too!" :lol: I think the best way to create avid readers isn't to ban books (or even allow them all, as the case may be), it's just being passionate about them.
OK!!! I ADMIT IT!!! I read all the way through the Flowers in the Attac series in college! AND I read all the way through John Jake's books on America, starting in High School. I about died when my dad picked up my copy of The Bastard, because there was a REALLY explicit sex scene within the first ten pages or so! (SHHH... Don't tell Rachael!!!)
I remember reading EAst of Eden in school for English Class... and I found it very upsetting to me. I can not forget the story line for the life of me, but I was so upset that I could not finish the book. I told my English teacher and she was upset with me, but really I just would not finish it. I read only books from Christian publishing companies, even as a teenager, so I think that is why I was so shaken with East of Eden... I love some of the classics!
In the last few months since I first started this thread, my daughter has discovered a few authors that she particularly likes, has found that she really hates, HATES "old" books(classics) and has also discovered that the majority of the literature out there today for tweens is c*%p. I have not found one single series or book written for the tween genre from a Christian perspective or by a Christian author. Almost all of it has some element of romance, or rebellion against parents, or something like that. The one author she really likes is Sharon Creech. I'll admit, most of her stories are just plain weird, but "family" is central to every story line. I really do miss the days when the American Girl series could hold her attention. She is growing up way too fast in some ways, but in others she is just so innocent and naive. At any rate, I thank each one of you ladies for your valuable insight, and presenting more than one side to the story. This has helped me solidify my own positions and beliefs and made me more confident to stand strong and not be swayed by popular opinion or extreme whining!
Thank you for easing my mind over this! It is so good to hear that you appreciate as an adult what might have irritated you as a kid. I really needed to hear that! Thanks.
Read most of the 1st page-I saw your "old is boring" comment from the kids, so here is an idea you might or might not want to try... Try letting them watch a movie based on a classic book. Many have been made into movies. If they like it, tell them it was based on an "old, boring" classic book. Have them read the book and compare the book and movie. Download kindle for PC (If you don't have a kindle) it's a free download. There are many free downloads for the kindle-most being those "old, boring" classic books-If they see the book is in that format-they might not pick up on the fact that it's an old book. Maybe reserve telling them the name of the book until after you have read it-make it an 'activity' for them to title the book and design a cover for it after you're half way through it or after you finished it-then tell them it was a classic.
Rachael says to try "The Door Wlithin" series by Wayne Thomas Batson and also "Dragons in our Midst" by Bryan Davis. Both are Christian fantasy. Another excellent Christian fantasy writer is John White. John Bibee is another author Rachael says to look for. He did the Homeschool Detectives series, which are a little younger.
Sonita, brilliant idea! Thank you so much! Jackie, tell Racheal thank you for me. It will mean more to dd if I tell her the recommendation came from a teen rather than a grown-up! I can't wait to find these books. The HS Detectives sounds like something ds would love.
Heidi, who use to be a member here, has a daughter, Ashley, about 17. Ashley blogs and has done reviews. Heidi is also a FB friend. Rachael had been looking for reviews and came across Ashlley's blog and they started emailing. Next thing I know, Rachael is looking over my shoulder one day and exclaims, "HEY!!! How is it you're a friend of my friend's friend from PA?" So she started telling me about her friend in PA, and I told her that not only is MY friend her friend's mom, but the girls had actually met once in Hershey when they were eight. Rachael's trying to find the review for you, if your daughter would be interested in reading it. It's another series by Brian Davis. Ah. She says if you go to dragonsinourmidst.com they have lots of reviews. Rachael's friend Elizabeth REALLY likes Brian Davis.
It can be dangerous going to the YA section. I write children's books so I like to keep abreast of what's out there, and I do lots of reviews on my blog. Last year I read one in which prostitution popped up. A young girl who sold herself to keep her apartment. Come on! What's this even doing in YA? So yes, I'm a big fan of pre-reading. This is partly why I write I started writing books, so kids have something decent to read!!!
