tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33818852.post8715884443429671565..comments2023-10-21T23:57:46.155-04:00Comments on Wheat Among Tares: Parental Censorshipterrihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12399706958844399216noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33818852.post-6038179833171680012010-03-29T17:22:20.608-04:002010-03-29T17:22:20.608-04:00My mom had a policy of letting us read what we wan...My mom had a policy of letting us read what we wanted---though she made an exception on the Wizards and Warriors books I read in first grade.James Patehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14247799389009268470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33818852.post-27681264288247649892010-03-25T21:09:59.616-04:002010-03-25T21:09:59.616-04:00I will ask my wife, an elementary school librarian...I will ask my wife, an elementary school librarian, to comment.<br /><br />CS Lewis commented in Surprised By Joy that a great deal of his education was the freedom to read whatever he pleased in a house full of books. This was not by design, but inattention by adults, and he noted that much of what he read was inappropriate for his age.<br /><br />Our boys read about what they wished, I think. We might have forbidden horror if they had wanted it, but it wasn't of interest.<br /><br />I read the first of the HP's and liked it moderately. Tracy and our second son were quite fanatic about the series from the day it came out. Ben's others that he was fanatic about were the Redwall series, which is aimed a bit younger, Watership Down, and the Gordon Korman books (very funny).Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33818852.post-23922753028121818612010-03-25T12:20:45.620-04:002010-03-25T12:20:45.620-04:00This has definitely proven to be a challenging iss...This has definitely proven to be a challenging issue with the Rationalist who is able to read at a level much higher than may be appropriate for his age and who genuinely loves to read. While I do want to ensure he isn't reading inappropriate material, I definitely don't want to discourage his love of books.<br /><br />I remember when he started the AR program at school years ago and how the level restrictions (i.e., the teacher mandating what level of books he could or could not read) were a nuisance to him, as he always wanted to read longer and more challenging books. Those first several years he kept advancing quickly to higher and higher levels. Now, in fourth grade, he's seemingly stalled at a 5th grade reading level. Whether this was merited, due to a lack of teacher involvement, or divine providence, I don't know. I do know, however, that part of me is happy about it, as I really don't know if I want my fourth grader reading six grade level books.<br /><br />Right now I'm just glad that he's at a point where he can genuinely get "meaty" books that satisfy his desire for real substance without, hopefully, getting into too mature of content. I'm also glad that he's at an age where he's genuinely delighted if we take enough interest to read the books he's reading and are able to discuss them with him.<br /><br />As for the Harry Potter book series specifically, though I haven't read the books myself and have only seen about 1 1/2 of the movies, my feeling is that the uproar over them may be a bit exaggerated. I am glad you're reading them, however, and I'm sure I'll be entertained with many dinner-time discussions between he and you about Harry and his many adventures.DHnoreply@blogger.com