Question about book appropriateness kids

[wambam]

Ass and strippers?

LOeffingL

[Deleted]

Amazon says grades 5-8.

[downtoearth]

That book is a Carl Hiaasin book and those are middle-school content books - it is rated at a 5th grade level (5.8 on Scholastic, which I find pretty accurate - www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/flush#cart/cleanup).  Your DD might be ready for 5th grade level reading, but sometimes they aren't ready for content like that. My son is at like a 7th grade level and we've had to look for more fantasy type books b/c they start getting into some serious themes in middle school that he's not emotionally ready for at 4th grade.

I'm guessing the librarian knows this, but I guess it doesn't hurt to mention it to them in an email as long as your not all pearl-clutching and keep these out of the library. 

[Gato]

I am clutching my pearls a little bit about the bachelor party, exotic dancers, and blackmailing in a book for third graders. Pretty sure DD1, who is in 2nd, doesn't need to know about that yet. We are currently reading Anne of Green Gables and that seems a long, long, way from hookers and blow.

[downtoearth]

Dec 3, 2015 16:29:25 GMT -5 hiddendriveway said:

Dec 3, 2015 16:28:18 GMT -5 @licia said:

I mean...meh. I'm pretty ok with books crossing lines.

From your post, it wasn't assigned? So just one you picked up? I think the onus is more on you to choose what you feel is appropriate for your children, not the teacher or librarian.

ETA - meaning, no, I wouldn't give the heads-up about
content to anyone. I trust they know.

How is the onus On me when she choose it at school. Inonviously didn't pick it up for her. Wth??

It's not - my kids have picked some inappropriately themed books and so far we've just had some really interesting discussions earlier than I thought. No harm to them or me.

[downtoearth]

Dec 3, 2015 16:32:38 GMT -5 hiddendriveway said:

Dec 3, 2015 16:28:44 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

That book is a Carl Hiaasin book and those are middle-school content books - it is rated at a 5th grade level (5.8 on Scholastic, which I find pretty accurate - www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/flush#cart/cleanup).  Your DD might be ready for 5th grade level reading, but sometimes they aren't ready for content like that. My son is at like a 7th grade level and we've had to look for more fantasy type books b/c they start getting into some serious themes in middle school that he's not emotionally ready for at 4th grade.

I'm guessing the librarian knows this, but I guess it doesn't hurt to mention it to them in an email as long as your not all pearl-clutching and keep these out of the library. 

Well
Maybe it's assigned the wrong color dot then. I just double checked and it's definitely rated third grade from her school library.

I wonder if it got accidentally coded and Hoot/Scat/Chomp are lower level.  Or maybe you just have a load of higher-level 3rds so you have a library who has to accommodate. 

[WOUNDTIGHT]

Dec 3, 2015 16:38:56 GMT -5 freedom said:

Dec 3, 2015 16:35:49 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

Also this post makes me laugh bc when I was like 8 I wanted to check Deenie out of the library and the librarian told my mom it was maybe too mature for me because it talked about -- gasp! -- DIVORCE. Lol. How far we've come in thirty years!

Deenie or it's not the end of the world? After I read it's not the end of the world I started rating my days every night in my diary, lol

Yeah, I thought the inappropriateness of Deenie was due to masturbation or something? I loved Its Not the End of the World.

[balletofangels]

I wonder if the dot system is reading level not content?

[soozy87]

I would not be okay with it for a kid that young.

[sailorgray]

I wouldn't be comfortable reading a book with my kids that have words like smartass and whatever in it. Yea, I know they hear that stuff and it's tame compared to most stuff they will hear, but that's not what I want to read WITH my kids.

I have never read any Harry Potter books, but my MIL, a retired elem school librarian, did not allow the later ones in the library due to mature content. Is that odd? Like I said, I have never read them, but have wondered if she was being super sensitive. Her school was k-6.

[joenali]

I love Carl Hiassen! But that book is more of a fifth or sixth grade book! I think it's fabulous!

[joenali]

But just skip over the words or change them!

[nsl]

Dec 3, 2015 18:21:32 GMT -5 joenali said:

But just skip over the words or change them!

This doesn't work when the kid can read the text themselves.

[katfco]

Scholastic rates that book as grade level equivalent 5.8. However, that generally just takes the word level into account. It rates the interest/appropriateness level as grades 9-12, and the Lexile score )which measures both word complexity and content) is 830, typical for 5th grade and up.

I would not be okay with my third grader reading about strippers and such, but then we're pretty strict with what they're exposed to.

[RoxMonster]

Yeah, the library is probably strictly coding them according to reading level and not considering content. TBF, it would be hard to code by "content" because some kids are more mature than others, some parents are stricter about what is read vs. others, etc. I think the best course of action is to continue what you are already doing---preview the books when they come home, discuss the mature content with her that you find OK or skip over books that you find too mature.

[hopecounts]

Dec 3, 2015 18:13:59 GMT -5 sailorgray said:

I wouldn't be comfortable reading a book with my kids that have words like smartass and whatever in it. Yea, I know they hear that stuff and it's tame compared to most stuff they will hear, but that's not what I want to read WITH my kids.

I have never read any Harry Potter books, but my MIL, a retired elem school librarian, did not allow the later ones in the library due to mature content. Is that odd? Like I said, I have never read them, but have wondered if she was being super sensitive. Her school was k-6.

I have read and love HP, but the later books are definitely more mature and intense.
There are deaths, abuse/torture, etc My plan as a parent would be allowing them in 6th grade or so, of course different kids have different sensitivities so I wouldn't be pearl clutchy over a kid reading them younger but would not encourage my kid to read the series before 6th grade.
I don't love censoring but your MIL is right that they are much more mature.

[joenali]

Dec 3, 2015 18:27:47 GMT -5 nsl said:

Dec 3, 2015 18:21:32 GMT -5 joenali said:

But just skip over the words or change them!

This doesn't work when the kid can read the text themselves.

I thought you were reading with her.

[nsl]

Dec 3, 2015 20:30:38 GMT -5 joenali said:

Dec 3, 2015 18:27:47 GMT -5 nsl said:

This doesn't work when the kid can read the text themselves.

I thought you were reading with her.

Not the OP, BUT "reading with" my 8 year old involves me reading the book out loud while sitting so he can see the pages and read along with me.  My kid would totally call me out for censoring language in the books we read together.

[jena]

Yes, I would email the librarian. I'd ask about the dot system, whether it's reading level or content based, and I'd point out that this book is 5.8 on scholastic but its for indicated 3rd grade, so you'd like her to review it.

I would not mention that you have a problem with characters being in jail, but i you could tell her you thought the exotic dancers were a bit much for 3rd grade.

[sailorgray]

Dec 3, 2015 20:15:35 GMT -5 hopecounts said:

Dec 3, 2015 18:13:59 GMT -5 sailorgray said:

I wouldn't be comfortable reading a book with my kids that have words like smartass and whatever in it. Yea, I know they hear that stuff and it's tame compared to most stuff they will hear, but that's not what I want to read WITH my kids.

I have never read any Harry Potter books, but my MIL, a retired elem school librarian, did not allow the later ones in the library due to mature content. Is that odd? Like I said, I have never read them, but have wondered if she was being super sensitive. Her school was k-6.

I have read and love HP, but the later books are definitely more mature and intense.
There are deaths, abuse/torture, etc My plan as a parent would be allowing them in 6th grade or so, of course different kids have different sensitivities so I wouldn't be pearl clutchy over a kid reading them younger but would not encourage my kid to read the series before 6th grade.
I don't love censoring but your MIL is right that they are much more mature.

Thanks! I've always wondered. My H wasn't allowed to watch Roseanne, so I assumed she was being a little nuts.  Guess I can stop rolling my eyes

[lostrn]

Dec 3, 2015 20:43:47 GMT -5 nsl said:

Dec 3, 2015 20:30:38 GMT -5 joenali said:

I thought you were reading with her.

Not the OP, BUT "reading with" my 8 year old involves me reading the book out loud while sitting so he can see the pages and read along with me.  My kid would totally call me out for censoring language in the books we read together.

My 7 year old is like this too. It worked when he was younger but now he'll call me out on stuff. I guess that's good in a way? Lol. Makes bedtime drag at times when I'm trying to hurry through a spot in the book though.

[Jermys]

I read Even Cowgirls Get the Blues at that age, so I'm not the one to ask. I don't censor a ton though.