Does "The Hunger Games" belong in a middle-school library?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A dad here who hasn't read the book and doesn't anything about the story except it includes kids killing each other. Just learned it was in the library in our middle school. I don't know.

Absolutely. Your homework is to read 1.) Fahrenheit 451 and then 2.) Hunger Games and then comment.

BTW- I am a parent of a fifth grader whose DD read the entire HP series in 2nd grade and LOTR's in 4th. I wouldn't have let her read the Hunger Game books a few years ago as I think the theme was too mature. However, by the time she gets into middle school I would be more than happy for her to read these books.

[Anonymous]

I was surprised that many of DD peers had read it in 4th grade. I put her off but she read it in 5th. She knew all of the details by then.

[Anonymous]

My kids have both read that series they are 9 and 11. It's not your job to police the library for what other kids can read. If you don't want your kids reading it, then tell them not to read it. You don't get to tell other kids what is appropriate, though.

Mind your own family and I'll mind mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It is a pretty good book and does not glorify the killing.

The second book actually explores a great deal about what killing does to the characters. They all have PTSD.

[Anonymous]

Could those of you who say it's not great literature list some YA fiction you think *is* great literature?

[Anonymous]

Sure, it's a great series. As an avid reader I read much more disturbing things at that age. No big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could those of you who say it's not great literature list some YA fiction you think *is* great literature?

To Kill a Mockingbird
The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings
Catcher in the Rye
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series
Cormier's The Chocolate War
Holes
Diary of Anne Frank
Little Women
Lord of the Flies
The Outsiders

[Anonymous]

To Kill A Mockinbird, Tolkien, the Diary of Anne Frank, and Lord of the Flies are YA books? How are you defining YA? "Books that teenagers may enjoy reading"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To Kill A Mockinbird, Tolkien, the Diary of Anne Frank, and Lord of the Flies are YA books? How are you defining YA? "Books that teenagers may enjoy reading"?

Yes, they are considered Young Adult Fiction. Did you really not know this?

As far as I know a couple of them are required reading in schools.

[Anonymous]

Pretty sure the Diary of Anne Frank is not fiction.

[Anonymous]

It is based on Greek myth where young teens are sacrificed to the Minotaur. By the third book you have guerilla warfare instigated by adults fought by young people. The reality is that we have kids fighting in Syria, Egypt, Uganda and many other places today. Young men of similar ages also enlisted in the Civil War and WWI and II. Do you hide the news, do you hide history? I agree it is not fine literature, but I think it gives a lot of opportunities to think about complex issues and encourage you as a parent to read it with your child. Frankly, that may actually drive them away from a book more quickly than banning it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To Kill A Mockinbird, Tolkien, the Diary of Anne Frank, and Lord of the Flies are YA books? How are you defining YA? "Books that teenagers may enjoy reading"?

Yes, they are considered Young Adult Fiction. Did you really not know this?

As far as I know a couple of them are required reading in schools.

YA books are books written or published with teenagers as the intended audience.

Did Harper Lee, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.D. Salinger, Douglas Adams, and William Golding publish their books for an audience of teenagers?

(Not to mention that, as a PP pointed out, the Diary of Anne Frank is actually the diary of Anne Frank.)

(Not to mention also that Catcher in the Rye is not, not, not great literature.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To Kill A Mockinbird, Tolkien, the Diary of Anne Frank, and Lord of the Flies are YA books? How are you defining YA? "Books that teenagers may enjoy reading"?

My son read the Tolkein books, on his own w/o my prodding before the 7th grade and during middle school he has read Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird. He would have read the Diary of Anne Frank in 7th grade when they touched on WWII in school but he was too busy reading other WWII related books.

That doesn't mean that kids can't read those books in later grades or other books entirely, it just means that my kid read those particular books before/during middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To Kill A Mockinbird, Tolkien, the Diary of Anne Frank, and Lord of the Flies are YA books? How are you defining YA? "Books that teenagers may enjoy reading"?

My son read the Tolkein books, on his own w/o my prodding before the 7th grade and during middle school he has read Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird. He would have read the Diary of Anne Frank in 7th grade when they touched on WWII in school but he was too busy reading other WWII related books.

That doesn't mean that kids can't read those books in later grades or other books entirely, it just means that my kid read those particular books before/during middle school.

Yes. Teenagers can read these books. That doesn't make them YA books.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To Kill A Mockinbird, Tolkien, the Diary of Anne Frank, and Lord of the Flies are YA books? How are you defining YA? "Books that teenagers may enjoy reading"?

My son read the Tolkein books, on his own w/o my prodding before the 7th grade and during middle school he has read Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird. He would have read the Diary of Anne Frank in 7th grade when they touched on WWII in school but he was too busy reading other WWII related books.

That doesn't mean that kids can't read those books in later grades or other books entirely, it just means that my kid read those particular books before/during middle school.

Yes. Teenagers can read these books. That doesn't make them YA books.

Well, o.k. But middle school kids have been reading classics like The Outsiders, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Diary of Anne Frank for decades. And there is a reason for that - those particular classics are usually right at a middle school kid's interest level. That doesn't mean that the kid can't read the book well before middle school or well after middle school. It just means that the impact of the story will be best felt in/around middle school.