Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. This weeks question is: In contrast to last week’s question – What do you think of censoring books BECAUSE of their intended age? Say, books too “old” for your kids to read?
Well, I definitely don't agree with books being censored or banned from places such as school libraries. It really should be up to parents to decide if a book is suitable for their child. Personally I grew up reading books way beyond my actual age - I was pretty much reading books aimed at adults from the age of about eleven. My mum was always aware of what I was reading and I never recall her not allowing me to read something because she knew if I didn't understand something or had any questions I'd go to her and ask. In my opinion books which push boundaries and explore 'taboo' areas are a good way for kids and teens to find out and think about such things in a safe way - in a way they can think about it and question it.
In my experience kids mature at different rates anyway. Some eleven-year-olds can be much more mature and ready for more grown-up content than some sixteen-year-olds. Also, I think that if a book is 'too old' for a kid then they'll probably find it boring and not want to read it anyway. If they're interested then they're not too young.
