I'm so glad this discussion came up. Last year I really had a hard time with this. I used to be able to rely pretty heavily on Scholastic TAB book club for being for the most part appropriate for my 7th and 8th graders. Scholastic is now in to sales, not teens! I too am having a hard time with books that are provocative -- especially novels the girls turn to. I ended up telling the kids and parents that they could not read it for independent reading in school because of its appropriateness, but that if the parents approved it, at home, that was their decision. I feel like I am banning books but I have had parents come back and ask why I was allowing their child -- mostly daughters -- to read these books! Now, I have 2 wonderful paraprofessionals who read kid lit with me or at least deeply scan it before I allow kids to read books I am not familiar with. Television and movies are not helping as my kids are exposed to more and like Janice wrote, then these are the books that engage readers! I love the independent reading program but it is much harder to do now! Debbie Parker
Janice Hise <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I teach 7/8 English and reading for a small Catholic K-8 where it seems most of the middle schoolers are allowed to watch those awful r-rated slasher movies. My problem is what to do about "PG-13 or R-rated" books. Some of the books I read over the summer, such as Paranoid Park and I Am the Messenger are just the books I need to interest some of my non-readers, but so far I have not done any booktalks on them because of the content (pre-marital sex, graphic violence, curse words, etc.) My parents are definitely not prudes, but I don't want to preempt their ability to monitor at what age their child starts to read about these issues. Has anyone sent home a generic notice or permission slip regarding what books parents are comfortable letting their children read? If so, could you send me an electronic file of your notice/slip? Or just describe how you handle this in general? Do you avoid giving booktalks on anything you rate even slightly questionable for all readers? This excludes a lot of good books! I really want to share these books with the class but I don't want to set up a lumbering, time consuming system of censorship. Help! _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
