From: Alixwrites_at_aol.com <Alixwrites>
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 12:11:06 EDT

In a message dated 6/24/2005 11:16:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, bookslinger at mn.rr.com writes:
 
  Children need experiences. As a parent I would rather have my children, think about how they would handle a situation they read about than actually experience.

This is so brilliant (though I wish you'd signed your post, so I'd know who made such a brilliant statement). This is exactly it. And, while there has been much discussion about whether kids who are going through situations p ortrayed in young adult novels (abuse, etc.) should read about them, as a form of therapy, there is also value for kids who are not in these situations to read about it. This is true for several reasons -- not the least of which is that such books are interesting because they portray something with which the teen is unfamiliar. Moreover, the latest Chris Crutcher will often be cathartic because it will put a teen's own, more typical, problems into perspective. This is, I presume, a big reason behind the popularity with teens of books like A Child Called "It." And finally, as others have alluded to, it is important for teens to be aware of the world around them, not merely as a warning (though I personally would like my daughters to read Speak before attending boy/girl parties) but also because I am fortunate to live in a community

where the biggest problems many kids face is whether they have to wait until their birthday to get that Nintendo Game Cube they've been wanting. So I think that books like Chanda's Secrets or America are important because they let teens know that there are other teens out there, dealing with other issues.
  Off to ALA!

  Best, Alexandra
_www.alexflinn.com_ (http://www.alexflinn.com/)

"Fans of legal thrillers might check out Alex Flinn's intriguing Fade to Black." Washington Post 5/8/05
Received on Fri 24 Jun 2005 11:11:06 AM CDT