"My daughter's 13...do you think this is suitable?"
"My son doesn't like scary things so I want something that won't scare him"
"No love, you're not reading that, it's in teen fiction, it's not appropriate for you!"
These are just some of the things I hear on a typical Saturday at work in the bookshop. And they never fail to make me angry.
When you were 13...were you curious? Did you ever want to find out more about life and excite yourself even just a little bit by escaping in to a new universe? Of course you did, we all did, you'd be mad not to. There's nothing worse than being 13 and feeling like you can't do anything; you've gained this "teenager" status but still get treated like a kid!
Yesterday, a girl came up to me at work asking where to find The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak, two excellent books which are almost like a rite of passage to teen readers. They explore mental health, love, sex, danger and teach us how to overcome these obstacles that you will start to experience in your teen years. I found the books for her and she came up to the tills with her mother who stopped me just as I was scanning them and asked "are these suitable for a 13 year old girl?". I stopped what I was doing and looked at her. What I wish I could say is "let her read what she wants, she's capable of making her own decisions". However, I like my job and would love to keep it so I opted for "as long as your daughter is mature enough to handle the topics then it should be no problem and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to a 13 year old". Neither have graphic sex scenes or completely inappropriate content in them so it shouldn't have been a problem however the mother freaked out then.
"What topics!? I don't want her reading it if it's not suitable!"
I avoided the mention of sex, it's always a no-no when convincing parents about books to young girls as they seem to think that their daughter will go out and be pregnant within a week of reading. Instead, I told the mother that there are bits about depression in them, skirting around the suicide bits (minor details, minor details), and she seemed less pleased than if I'd told her there were sex in them. 
"You don't cope with sad things very well though love I don't want you to read them!" she said to her daughter and then her daughter just argued with her and said "so!? I want to read it" and after a lot of reassuring the family, the girl walked away happily with her new books whilst her mum slumped off angry about not getting her own way.
Issy 1 customer 0
Censoring kids from books is controversial to say the least. I understand concern on the parents behalf about their kids being exposed to specific content but there comes a point where the concern is too much. Age ratings on books should be seen as a guideline and not law; remember that age ratings aren't so much based on content but also on difficulty!
When I was 12, I was capable enough to walk in to the bookstore I work in now and pick a book off the shelf, like the sound of it, buy it and love it. I found out about periods from Jacqueline Wilson books, I learned a few new swearwords from Darren Shan and as I got older I understood more about sex and relationships through the books I've read.
Books seem to be able to explain things to kids that parents feel too uncomfortable to do. Sure the way they explain things may seem slightly unorthodox but they seem to show gritty realism which is hard to explain.
Here is a list of books with messages that your kids should know plus a rough guideline of ages to match!
- John Green's The Fault in Our Stars - Age 13 up. Themes/Messages: Sex, terminal illness, people can be disappointing and mean, those we love won't be here forever.
- John Green's Looking for Alaska - Age 15 up. Themes/Messages: Sex, smoking, drugs. When I say sex though I mean it. There is VERY awkward scene in there which is definitely one to avoid for a while.
- John Green's Will Grayson, Will Grayson - Age 11/12 up. Themes/Messages: Homosexuality (believe it or not, some parents still find this a horrifying concept), 'Catfishing' (people pretending to be someone else online)
- Sarah Alderson's Hunting Lila - Age 14 up. Themes/Messages: Violence, supernatural, love, sex.
- Markus Zusak's I am the Messenger - Age 13 up. Themes/Messages: Help others, you might just have to deal with the friend zone, family is important.
- Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Age 13 up Themes/Messages: Depression, suicide, sex, growing up, drugs.
- Tabitha Suzuma's Forbidden-Age 15/16 up. Themes/Messages: incest and suicide.
- Alyssa Brugman's Alex As Well - Age 14 up. Themes/Messages: Transgender, sexuality.
These are all just a rough guide and just a few of the types of books that are worth reading. If you want my advice, content is usually suitable for 2 years above your actual age so Hunting Lila is mainly for 16 year old's but 14 year old's can read them and not be phased by it! Letting your 12 year old in to the teen fiction section is not a crime and we should let kids read what they want, after all, they know themselves better than their parents do!
Any other suggestions? I'd love to hear!
Is x
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