Reply to 10-year-old DD only wants to read YA fantasy novels

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My concern wouldn't be that she's reading fantasy, but that she's reading fantasy aimed at a more mature audience.  Try introducing her to Diana Wynne Jones books.  Tamora Pierce also writes excellent YA fantasy.  The Circle of Magic series is good for younger readers, and the Tortall books skew older, but when sex comes up in them, it is handled well, particularly in terms of consent and protection against pregnancy. [/quote]

As a parent of a girl, now 14, who has been into all kinds of reading but a lot of fantasy for years now, I second this post. Another good series though it's aimed slightly older is the Matched trilogy, which I read too and which I recall has no sex (everyone's too busy trying to stay alive!). There's a romantic triangle but it's really not as vital as the overall story. Daughter loved the Tamora Pierce "Protector of the Small" series and the Diana Wynne Jones books (the Chrestomanci series and the novel Howl's Moving Castle, considered a classic). She also loved, and still re-reads, Diane Duane's books about the Young Wizards (she preferred that magical series to Harry Potter's magic, actually. The wizards age as the books progress, much like HP). The fantasy series by Marissa Meyer (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Fairest, Winter are the titles) is an interesting dystopian fantasy take on a heap of fairy tales but don't let her say "Yuck, fairy tales" -- they're really interesting and create a new and very girl-powered world. And there are several romantic pairings that are quite chaste. Again, everyone's just busy staying alive....

I'd go to her school librarian and/or the local children's/YA librarian and ask for ideas on fantasy that is neither too young for her nor too mature. It's tough but doable.

OP, reading the description you posted about your kid's current book, I disliked the emphasis on the "love to lust" bit. My daughter is older than yours but still strongly dislikes any overt sex in books--she is just more into action and adventure and "world-building" as fantasy book lovers seem to call it. Romance that's purely, well, romantic is fine by her, but not too strong a dose. At age 10, if a book were too sexual, she would have dumped it fast. The book you describe sounds too old for your kid. It really is OK to check out what she reads. If she's pretty mature, talk with her and ask her if the sexual parts in books make her uncomfortable.

Does she ever suggest that you read books she is reading? My daughter is really into asking us to read her books so she can talk with someone about them, especially books her friends haven't read. That's how I ended up reading all of the Meyer series and the Matched series and some Sanderson books. It does give you some insights into your kid to read what they read and talk about them, if your kid is the type who wants to share that with a parent.[/quote]

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