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Originally Posted by Kelpie We had a whole discussion a while back as to whether children are mentally and emotionally prepared for all adult books even when they have the reading ability to tackle them. We couldn't come to an agreement here, and I doubt that book-sellers, publishers, or librarians could come up with a hard and fast standard that most people would agree with either. |
I think the whole question of whether a book is suitable for a nine year old, or a fifteen year old, will depend very much on the individual. You are so right about parents ducking responsibility for what their children read and watch on TV, but I can also sympathise with Rune's statement about guidelines. At least they have a vetting procedure for video/dvds, flawed as it may be. An effort has been made to censure material based on age, but it is up to the parents to agree, or not, with whether the guidance of those who have issued the certificate for that program have got it right for their children.
Book shops do grade books into age ranges, but there are times when I wonder who, if anyone, really looks at the contents to determine the suitability. Again, I suppose it's a guide, but maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea if books sold in the childrens' section had a lower age limit printed on the cover somewhere in the same way as videos and dvds.