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Edgy, Teach Me, etc.
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From: Kellye Carter Crocker <kelcrocker>
Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2005 11:22:21 -0500
I appreciated Jane?s thoughts about edgy YA, especially this: << I think Mark Twain would agree that there's some good in being bad, and sometimes there cqn be a lesson behind the edginess. >>
Jane mentioned:< Prim [funny typo! It?s Prom. And, as Jane said, the kids in Prom are not Prim. kcc] by Laurie Halse Anderson Looking for alaska by John Green Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz>
I haven?t read the last one, but have read Prom and Alaska and enjoyed them. I?ve also read Teach Me, which Jane mentioned, and want to comment on it.
I feel that a well-done ?edgy? book is good for most teens. Books provide a safe way for kid to explore these topics and think about them in new ways. Alaska has an oral-sex scene. The fact is that some?certainly not all?kids are participating in this behavior. I actually loved this scene because the boy and the girl were awkward and fumbly and didn?t know how or what to do. I thought that was realistic and much better than the super-slick, ?worldly? characters in books such as Gossip Girls. In my day (insert old lady voice) I loved Forever by Judy Blume. I was intensely curious about ?the first time.? It certainly didn?t make me go out and try sex, and I don?t think these books will do the same.
Jane wrote: <<II think, like Esme, I tend to draw the line at gratuity and exploitation--even then for some people that can be a very fluid line. For me the the most important thing is: is there some redemption in a story? I mean a book ONLY about farting isn't as good as a book about a farting dog who SAVES the world.>>
I agree with the first sentence, and wish that I?d seen Esme?s original post. There certainly are books that are poorly written and use sex and other edginess just for sensationalism. Although they may draw readers at first, I think they eventually just die because they?re not good books to begin with.
I also agree that a farting dog who saves the world might make a better story than just a farting dog. But I can tell you that simply reading about Walter?s problem (before the bad guys come) is highly entertaining for my 9-year-old son. I really believe that even so?lled bad books have their place and play an important role by getting kids interested in reading and showing them that there is pleasure to be had in a book. As a parent, I think it?s important to provide a mix...squeeze those good classics in, too.
Jane wrote: <<<By the way at ALA this afternoon I saw an advance galley set out (can't remember the publisher) called TEACH ME. I asked what it was about and the sales person or whoever she was said it was for very mature young adults, age 14 and up, and was about a teacher falling in love with one of her students. With all the stuff I was carrying I didn't feel the need to pick it up.>>
I enjoyed Teach Me. As a parent, the idea of a student-teacher affair is repugnant (especially when I?d been warned that in this story, the teacher won?t be punished). But as soon as I started reading, I was right there with the main character. The story is well-written. R.A. Nelson has really gotten into his character?s head. I recently interviewed the editor of Teach Me. She calls the book ?emotionally graphic.? It isn?t sexually graphic. The publishers also were careful to make sure that there were no statutory rape issues involved. (They don?t have sex until her 18th birthday.) I was surprised that the affair actually is a small part of the story. Most of the book is about the girl?s obsession and heartache after her teacher suddenly drops her without explanation. There?s kind of a creepy ?Fatal Attraction? element to the whole thing. This story is targeted for 14 and up, and I wouldn?t hesitate to let kids of this age read it. Having a crush on a cute, young English teacher is totally understandable for someone like the smart main character, Nine (short for Caroline). Such affairs do happen. I think it?s something kids will be interested in, but I don?t think they?ll walk away saying, ?Hey! Now I think it?s OK to sleep with my teacher.?
Thanks for this discussion!
Kellye Carter Crocker Kelcrocker at mchsi.com Journalist; MFA candidate in writing for children; YA book reviewer, The Des Moines Register
Received on Sun 26 Jun 2005 11:22:21 AM CDT
Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2005 11:22:21 -0500
I appreciated Jane?s thoughts about edgy YA, especially this: << I think Mark Twain would agree that there's some good in being bad, and sometimes there cqn be a lesson behind the edginess. >>
Jane mentioned:< Prim [funny typo! It?s Prom. And, as Jane said, the kids in Prom are not Prim. kcc] by Laurie Halse Anderson Looking for alaska by John Green Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz>
I haven?t read the last one, but have read Prom and Alaska and enjoyed them. I?ve also read Teach Me, which Jane mentioned, and want to comment on it.
I feel that a well-done ?edgy? book is good for most teens. Books provide a safe way for kid to explore these topics and think about them in new ways. Alaska has an oral-sex scene. The fact is that some?certainly not all?kids are participating in this behavior. I actually loved this scene because the boy and the girl were awkward and fumbly and didn?t know how or what to do. I thought that was realistic and much better than the super-slick, ?worldly? characters in books such as Gossip Girls. In my day (insert old lady voice) I loved Forever by Judy Blume. I was intensely curious about ?the first time.? It certainly didn?t make me go out and try sex, and I don?t think these books will do the same.
Jane wrote: <<II think, like Esme, I tend to draw the line at gratuity and exploitation--even then for some people that can be a very fluid line. For me the the most important thing is: is there some redemption in a story? I mean a book ONLY about farting isn't as good as a book about a farting dog who SAVES the world.>>
I agree with the first sentence, and wish that I?d seen Esme?s original post. There certainly are books that are poorly written and use sex and other edginess just for sensationalism. Although they may draw readers at first, I think they eventually just die because they?re not good books to begin with.
I also agree that a farting dog who saves the world might make a better story than just a farting dog. But I can tell you that simply reading about Walter?s problem (before the bad guys come) is highly entertaining for my 9-year-old son. I really believe that even so?lled bad books have their place and play an important role by getting kids interested in reading and showing them that there is pleasure to be had in a book. As a parent, I think it?s important to provide a mix...squeeze those good classics in, too.
Jane wrote: <<<By the way at ALA this afternoon I saw an advance galley set out (can't remember the publisher) called TEACH ME. I asked what it was about and the sales person or whoever she was said it was for very mature young adults, age 14 and up, and was about a teacher falling in love with one of her students. With all the stuff I was carrying I didn't feel the need to pick it up.>>
I enjoyed Teach Me. As a parent, the idea of a student-teacher affair is repugnant (especially when I?d been warned that in this story, the teacher won?t be punished). But as soon as I started reading, I was right there with the main character. The story is well-written. R.A. Nelson has really gotten into his character?s head. I recently interviewed the editor of Teach Me. She calls the book ?emotionally graphic.? It isn?t sexually graphic. The publishers also were careful to make sure that there were no statutory rape issues involved. (They don?t have sex until her 18th birthday.) I was surprised that the affair actually is a small part of the story. Most of the book is about the girl?s obsession and heartache after her teacher suddenly drops her without explanation. There?s kind of a creepy ?Fatal Attraction? element to the whole thing. This story is targeted for 14 and up, and I wouldn?t hesitate to let kids of this age read it. Having a crush on a cute, young English teacher is totally understandable for someone like the smart main character, Nine (short for Caroline). Such affairs do happen. I think it?s something kids will be interested in, but I don?t think they?ll walk away saying, ?Hey! Now I think it?s OK to sleep with my teacher.?
Thanks for this discussion!
Kellye Carter Crocker Kelcrocker at mchsi.com Journalist; MFA candidate in writing for children; YA book reviewer, The Des Moines Register
Received on Sun 26 Jun 2005 11:22:21 AM CDT
