10 YA Books that Scarred us for Life

[lemondrop]

flavorwire.com/290560/10-ya-books-that-scarred-us-for-life

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Logan’s Run, William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson
Lizard Music, Daniel Pinkwater
The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
White Fang, Jack London


Did you read any of these as a child/teenager?
Did they scar you for life?
Do you think it's OK for children and teenagers to read books like this?

[lemondrop]

I'm off to a meeting. I'll answer later.

[angnshaun]

The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
White Fang, Jack London

I read these...

I LOVED White Fang!!!

[mrs.jacinthe]

I've read all of those. None were scarring, although Hatchet was mildly disturbing at times.

I read Alive! as a sixth grader. That was scarring. Also, Flowers in the Attic. DUDE. **shudder**

[qbert]

May 17, 2012 13:59:08 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

I've read about half of those and was not scarred by any of them. I think books that make you think outside what's going on in your life are probably good for teens. My kids have read several of the books on that list as well.

I loved all of these books and definitely wasn't 'scarred' by them. They were beautifully written and definitely made me think, which isn't a bad thing at all.

[qbert]

Also, Where the Red Fern Grows and Bridge to Terabithia are two of my all time favorite books.

[doxies]

I love Where The Red Fern Grows. I re-read it when I need an ugly-cry. I believe I read it first when I was in 4th grade. It didn't scar me though.

I am looking forward to letting my DS read it soon.

I bought The Giver the other day when it was 99 cents for the Kindle. I haven't read it yet though.

[imoan]

Bridge to Terabithia... without a doubt. I didn't really understand that kids were just as susceptible to death as adults.

And The Giver... but in a good way. It kind of opened my eyes and has become one of my favorite books ever.

[angnshaun]

May 17, 2012 14:08:27 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

I read Alive! as a sixth grader.

Never knew that was a book... It was one of my favorite movies though. I'll have to check that out!

[ThirdandLong]

Where the Red Fern Grows affected me. I have always loved dogs, so the ending really impacted me. I sat there and bawled in class when those parts were read out loud. (I was teased for it.) Of the others on your list, we only read White Fang and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Neither had a profound impact on me.

We also read a story called Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner that had me crying my eyes out as we read aloud.

edit--italics

[EllieArroway]

I have read all of those & don't feel that I was scarred by any of them. Actually I loved most of them, and a couple are my favorite childhood books.

[lemondrop]

I've read:

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
White Fang, Jack London

I have vivid memories of most of these books, but they didn't really scar me. I do think of them from time to time, though.

I think it's OK for kids who aren't really sensitive to read books like this. It just really depends on their personalities.





[/quote]

[mollymoe]

I read about half of the books on the list. None of them scarred me but some have stayed with me. I read a lot of Katherine Paterson growing up and I still think about her books especially Jacob Have I Loved. Her books can be sad but as a kid I felt I could really relate to her themes so the stories stuck with me.

I can only think of a couple of books that scarred me. They weren't YA although I read the books when I was in high school. The Painted Bird and Steps by Jerzy Kosinski. The Painted Bird was so...I don't know how to explain it. Freaky? But I think Steps was just too much for me.

[PinkSquirrel]

I've read a couple of them and I don't think any of the ones I read scarred me for life. I think some of them were a bit intense, but ehh, it happens. I think the book I read around the age I was reading some of these that did scar me for life was One Child by Torey Hayden

[lemondrop]

May 17, 2012 14:12:35 GMT -5 ThirdandLong said:

Where the Red Fern Grows affected me. I have always loved dogs, so the ending really impacted me. I sat there and bawled in class when those parts were read out loud. (I was teased for it.) Of the others on your list, we only read White Fang and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Neither had a profound impact on me.

We also read a story called Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner that had me crying my eyes out as we read aloud.

edit--italics

My fifth grade teacher read Bridge to Terabithia in class. I missed the last day, and I was so glad I did when my bff told me she bawled in class. The class decided to give me the book as a gift, and I finished it right away at home so no one would see me cry.

[BravoBravo]

I have only read:

The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
Lord of the Flies, William Golding

But only LotF in school. I read the other two series as a grown up. Well I did not read book three of The Golden Compass because there was a huge spoiler in a newsletter/info thing at church.

[bluelikejazz]

Of those I read when I was younger, they were in a classroom setting. I don't think I would have really understood them (and therefore not have been scarred) had it not been for the teacher and other classmates discussing the book(s).

[2curlydogs]

Where the Red Fern Grows made me ugly cry. I couldn't finish it until years later. Then again, I was in 1st grade when I read it, so.....

I think CS Lewis is kinda reaching for it. I dunno.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH kinda screwed with me, only because I was old enough to realize NIMH was REAL.

[mrs.jacinthe]

May 17, 2012 14:11:04 GMT -5 angnshaun said:

May 17, 2012 14:08:27 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

I read Alive! as a sixth grader.

Never knew that was a book... It was one of my favorite movies though. I'll have to check that out!

Yep! Be aware that it is pretty disturbing. As in, I haven't read it in a while, but there were some things described that sort of turned my stomach, even on re-read as an adult.

[PinkSquirrel]

May 17, 2012 15:06:57 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

May 17, 2012 14:11:04 GMT -5 angnshaun said:

Never knew that was a book... It was one of my favorite movies though. I'll have to check that out!

Yep! Be aware that it is pretty disturbing. As in, I haven't read it in a while, but there were some things described that sort of turned my stomach, even on re-read as an adult.

Alive is definitely in the disturbing but really good category.

[MrsAxilla]

What is supposed to be scarring about the Narnia books?


Pet Semetary - now THAT was scarring!

[5kcandlesinthewind]

Bridge to Terabitha was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. I watched the movie a couple of years ago, and cried and cried and cried.

I think the Sweet Valley high books scarred me more than any of the ones on that list - I spent all of high school waiting for the awesome proms/dances, magical vodka, and scary look-alike cousins trying to kill me, and NOTHING.

(I will totally cop to being legitimately traumatized by the one where Regina dies when she does a line of coke, though. It is seriously why I never did any drugs harder than pot in my youth. Any time someone whipped out something stronger, I'd pass and think, "what if I have an undetected heart murmur?!")

[hopecounts]

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen- enjoyed and didn't scar me at all totally fine with Dd reading it.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson- the end definitely caused ugly crying possible scaring but I'd encourage DD to read once she was mature enough to handle it. I was in 3rd or 4th when I read it

The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis- LOVE this series. Am looking forward to reading them with DD. didn't scar me but definitely made me think about religion/death and what I believe comes after this life; in a good way not a nightmares and freaked out way.

[msmerymac]

I love ALL of the Narnia books. The Christian allegory really hits you over the head, even as an 11 year old, but I've reread them as an adult and I still love them, although they're a bit clunkier than some children's lit today. I would absolutely read them with my children. I guess issues of life and death are supposed to be traumatic? The "scary" parts and "bad" guys? Those are just life lessons, people!

[duckduck]

<i>Where the Red Fern Grows</i> ripped my freaking guts out. It was one of the best books I've ever read, but I BAWLED for days at the ending. No book before or since has ever made me that sad.

I was depressed at the end of the <i>Chronicles of Narnia</i> because there weren't any more Narnia books to read. That's all. But I was raised Christian, so the whole concept of dying to get to Heaven wasn't new or scarring to me.

[hopecounts]

You know what scarred me? Little Women, the death in that KILLED me, of course I was 10 and it was probably the first book I read where a character died.
Still love that book and do a reread every so often. Can't wait to introduce DD to it.

[bookbunny]

Definitely Little Women.

I'm reading The Hatchet right now b/c it was H's favorite book as a kid.
I read The Giver as an adult and love it.
I read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe as a kid, and cried my eyes out. I love that book. I still need to read the rest of the series though (it was the only one I owned as a kid).
Lord of the Flies was pretty disturbing, and I wore glasses, so I was totally side-eyeing my classmates after reading about Piggy.
I flove White Fang. I'm currently reading it to H in the car because it was one of my favorite books as a kid. And I loved the reference to it on New Girl last week!
I've never read Where the Red Fern Grows, so I think I really need to!

[lemondrop]

May 17, 2012 17:10:04 GMT -5 bookbunny said:

I flove White Fang. I'm currently reading it to H in the car because it was one of my favorite books as a kid. And I loved the reference to it on New Girl last week!

I loved this.

[sam20]

I've read a few of those but don't think they really "scarred" me. One book that has really stuck with me since I read it in middle school was a book called "Speak". I can't remember the author but it was about a girl who was raped. It wasn't really disturbing but definitely the first time I ever read about rape or saw it really discussed.

[dorothyinAus]

Did you read any of these as a child/teenager? -- The only one I have read is The Golden Compass, and I was an adult before it came out.

Did they scar you for life? -- not really, but I was an adult when I read The Golden Compass

Do you think it's OK for children and teenagers to read books like this? -- I think the His Dark Materials series is perfectly fine for teenagers, bit no matter how the bookstores shelve the series, it is NOT a children's book. I'm all for children reading advanced books, but I feel this series is in no way acceptable reading for most children. There are far too many themes and too many things that can confuse most children. I think you need a bit of life on you before reading this series.