Sorry, too old
The right book for the right reader at the right time - that is a given in the world of children’s literature. But what if the book cover says you are too young / too old to read it? This is a controversy just starting to hit its straps in the UK with publishers there intending to put age guidelines on the covers of children’s / YA books.
More than eighty authors, including Philip Pullman, are fighting back with a letter to be published in Bookseller magazine later this week. Not all authors are against the idea, however. Meg Rosoff says that it could be ‘extremely helpful for parents.’
Read the Guardian report here.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I can see a lot of problems.
There’s a vast gulf between ‘reading age’ and ‘actual age’. Under this suggested regime, how many 9-12 year olds might be denied the books they should be reading just because they’re 2-4 years too young? Imagine teachers holding back Northern Lights because it says 15+, even though a bright 12 year old might devour it - or worse, legal action because parents discover some ’subversive teacher’ recommended a 15+ book to their 13-year-old.