My eleven year old daughter just came home from school and informed me that they are no longer "allowing" the books of Twilight series. I couldn't believe my ears. What could they be thinking? I'm sure they are aware that banning books is not a very progressive or open minded way of thought. I just emailed the principal to see if I can find out what is going on. I couldn't trust myself with a phone call. I didn't want to get angry or irrational. But come on.
I know that my daughter's teacher has expressed his view that he doesn't think that she is old enough to be reading the series. I read through them first. She is my daughter and I know her better than a teacher who has had her in his class for a little over a month. I felt that these books were ones that she would enjoy. And she has. She loves them. They have her reading.
That said, I still haven't decided if she will be reading the last book in the series, Breaking Dawn. That has some stuff in it that I'm not sure about. Maybe we can read it together. As with the others it can open up a dialogue and give me a chance to talk to her about what she is reading. So not only do these book have my daughter reading but they have helped me be able to have good conversations with my daughter. They must be bad.
This is all very reminiscent of the whole "Harry Potter is evil and teaching my kid black magic." train of thought that was out there (and possibly still is). The whole situation makes me very uncomfortable. I don't feel that they have that right to say to my child "You can't bring that book."
One of the reasons it makes me feel uncomfortable is that I feel that they are judging me as a parent. "How DARE you let your child read that book? What an awful parent you must be!" Not really caring for feeling like that. Not that it should really matter what other parents think of me, especially if they don't know me. What's weird is that M. took the books to school the last part of school last year and nothing was ever made mention of it.
I do want some other opinions about this so I'll put it out there for you. Do you think that 10-11 years old is too young to read the book? Should the school ban these books? Are they too "old"for elementary school aged kids?
4 comments:
I've not read them and am only vaguely familiar with the series. I'm sure Jacob takes books to school to read during independent reading that some might frown on - I'm glad they don't look very closely! LOL (He's not reading porn or anything - but some fantasy stuff that may be aimed more at teens, perhaps.)
I've honestly never heard of these books...what are they about? Why are they being banned?
It's about a girl who falls in love with a "vegetarian" vampire and he falls in love with her.
It's a good fast, fictional read.
acutaly im currentaly in eight grade and the youngest in my class and i read the twiight books when i was eleven and they are totlay fine to read its not like its like describing every little detail of tat goes on in that book for only like 2 chapters its is just fine to keep in schools and actually my school keeps sevral copies of the books and they are open to any one allthe way through those who can real through 12th grade (verry small school) and honestly they are awsome books and if you havent read them yoou should because the movie twilight did absloutly no justice to the book for lords sake (no offence intended) my lititure teacher keeps a copie of them in her class room!
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