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Ready or Not
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From: msimpsonmls_at_comcast.net <msimpsonmls>
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 02:15:00 +0000
I know the discussion about how sex is handled in kids' books was a week or two ago, but I just read an advance copy of Meg Cabot's Ready or Not and I was wondering if anyone else has seen it. This book is the sequel to All American Girl, in which a high
school girl (Samantha) living in Washington DC, rescues the President from an assasination attempt and subsequently becomes famous and starts dating his son (who is in her art class). I loved the first book and thought it was innocent enough to booktalk
to 5th graders. It's been very popular with the middle grade readers.
So I was rather shocked when I read the sequel. The title refers to whether Samantha feels she is ready to have sex with her boyfriend or not. The review in Kirkus, although accurate, fails to mention that her older sister gives her some very specific a dvice about how to "practice" getting ready for sex. Is Meg Cabot trying to be the next Judy Blume?
I am not saying that libraries shouldn't get this book, because the points brought up in it are worthy of discussion. Readers who are ready for this kind of book will probably enjoy it, because it's got the some kind of humor that made The Princess Diari es so popular. I guess what bothers me is that this book takes such a big leap in subject matter from the first book. I don't think the fifth graders who read All American Girl should read this one until they are a few years older, which means I will pr obably give the Children's copy of the book to our YA Department. I would have preferred that Cabot got graphic in a book that didn't continue a series that appeals to 11 year olds.
Kirkus suggests the reading level is for ages 12 (BWI suggests grades 7). I would argue that middle school age is too young, especially since 5th & 6th graders will find it. Also, I wish that if a book contains anything potentially objectionable ( that is, likely to get the parent censors worked up), the reviewer would state that, so the librarian purchasing the book doesn't get caught off guard. I'm just glad I read the book before I gave it to one of my summer reading club kids!
It will be interesting to see if this book becomes a target of censorship like Blume's Forever.
-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association Stratford, CT 06615
Received on Wed 13 Jul 2005 09:15:00 PM CDT
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2005 02:15:00 +0000
I know the discussion about how sex is handled in kids' books was a week or two ago, but I just read an advance copy of Meg Cabot's Ready or Not and I was wondering if anyone else has seen it. This book is the sequel to All American Girl, in which a high
school girl (Samantha) living in Washington DC, rescues the President from an assasination attempt and subsequently becomes famous and starts dating his son (who is in her art class). I loved the first book and thought it was innocent enough to booktalk
to 5th graders. It's been very popular with the middle grade readers.
So I was rather shocked when I read the sequel. The title refers to whether Samantha feels she is ready to have sex with her boyfriend or not. The review in Kirkus, although accurate, fails to mention that her older sister gives her some very specific a dvice about how to "practice" getting ready for sex. Is Meg Cabot trying to be the next Judy Blume?
I am not saying that libraries shouldn't get this book, because the points brought up in it are worthy of discussion. Readers who are ready for this kind of book will probably enjoy it, because it's got the some kind of humor that made The Princess Diari es so popular. I guess what bothers me is that this book takes such a big leap in subject matter from the first book. I don't think the fifth graders who read All American Girl should read this one until they are a few years older, which means I will pr obably give the Children's copy of the book to our YA Department. I would have preferred that Cabot got graphic in a book that didn't continue a series that appeals to 11 year olds.
Kirkus suggests the reading level is for ages 12 (BWI suggests grades 7). I would argue that middle school age is too young, especially since 5th & 6th graders will find it. Also, I wish that if a book contains anything potentially objectionable ( that is, likely to get the parent censors worked up), the reviewer would state that, so the librarian purchasing the book doesn't get caught off guard. I'm just glad I read the book before I gave it to one of my summer reading club kids!
It will be interesting to see if this book becomes a target of censorship like Blume's Forever.
-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association Stratford, CT 06615
Received on Wed 13 Jul 2005 09:15:00 PM CDT
