Recommended books for pre-teen

[clairecloutier]

As a parent of two 9-year-olds, I do not feel my kids are ready to really take in the Holocaust at this point, at all. Admittedly, my kids are young for their age, and not very sophisticated. They still kind of believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy and stuff like that. Last year, someone in a book club gave them a book about the Holocaust--a child's recollection of it, or something--and they did not get it at all. I could tell it was just beyond them. Emotionally, they're not ready, IMO.

In school, they have started to learn about some topics like other religions, cultures, war, civil rights, slavery. And some of this comes up in our own reading at home. But the Holocaust is another thing, in my mind, much harder to process. When I was younger, I read a lot of children's Holocaust literature, including The Hiding Place, The Upstairs Room, The Diary of Anne Frank, and more, but I'm pretty sure that was all in middle and high school. I don't remember reading any of that in elementary school, and I do not feel there is any rush. There's more than enough time to read all that later on (and I'll make sure they know about it). Just my 2 cents though.

 

[quartz]

I was read KJV old testament stories at bedtime - my parents weren't interested in sparing me from any sort of horror as a child.

 

[made_in_canada]

I think it does depend on the kid. My nieces read the Diary of Anne Frank when they were around their 9th birthday. But they had been on a trip to Europe, and visited the Anne Frank house and we did a lot of WW2 history stuff while we were there. They also read I Am Malala at about the same age and we had some fantastic conversations around that book. They handled it just fine. They would not handle sexual content well though. I read The Hiding Place about that age and I remember lots of conversations about the book and holocaust after that. I don’t feel like I was too young. I got different things out of it after I re-read it when I was older. I read The Cider House Rules when I was around 10 and I was definitely too young for that. I didn’t even know what an abortion was at that point and it kinda scarred me, lol.

 

[MacMadame]

Once I hit 4th grade, I'd read anything that remotely interested me. This included books supposedly for adults as well as what we now call YA fiction and even the books in the library that were specifically written for my age group but seemed a bit babyish to me. I actually preferred reading complex stuff because knowing other people were going through crap and that not everyone did things the way our family did was a bit of a lifeline for me.

 

[skatesindreams]

I actually preferred reading complex stuff because knowing other people were going through crap and that not everyone did things the way our family did was a bit of a lifeline for me.

This, times 1000.

I taught myself to read when I was 2; and read the newspaper before going to elementary school.
I always had to prove my competency to teachers/others;.

There were long periods when I couldn't go out; so. my father brought books to me.
His criteria: was it something he found interesting; or. thought I should know.
Nothing was ever censored, or "off limits".

We discussed everything, sometimes for hours.
He encouraged/taught me to think independently.

I could go on; however, you get the idea!

 

[TheGirlCanSkate]

I don't remember reading any of that in elementary school, and I do not feel there is any rush. There's more than enough time to read all that later on (and I'll make sure they know about it). Just my 2 cents though.

I am so happy that my daughter read/is reading heavy themes in high school - the best part is her teachers cover the topics inclusively - so in history they cover WW2 and the literature in English covers the same and her foreign language teacher also covers it. Because it is all wrapped up - social/history/lit she gets a lot more out of it than reading it less deeply. Reading it with historical context just makes more sense.

 

[Japanfan]

Consider the following sentence from David Copperfield:

Ham Peggotty, who went to the national school, and was a very dragon at his catechism, and who may therefore be regarded as a credible witness, reported next day, that happening to peep in at the parlour-door an hour after this, he was instantly descried by Miss Betsey, then walking to and fro in a state of agitation, and pounced upon before he could make his escape.

I can easily see a nine-year-old wondering exactly what "national school," "a very dragon," "catechism," "parlour," and "descried" meant and not being able to find all the answers very quickly, even with a dictionary at hand.

Although I understand all the words in the sentence, it's way too long for me. I'm resisting the urge to edit it in my mind. And yes, I do get that it is Dickens, and hence sacred.

I was 18 when Clan of the Cave Bear came out, but if it was out when I was 12, I sure would have been reading it then!

I'm the same. Probably those books are recommended not until 16-17? Some of the series do have sex in them.

 

[skatesindreams]

I gained my love for well-researched historical fiction thanks to several Newbery award winners from the 1960's.

 

[gk_891]

Not sure if this counts as a pre-teen novel but when I was about 11 or 12, I read a fascinating book called Anna to the Infinite Power. It was made into a movie that wasn't very good but the novel was an interesting read, at least at that time for me. I could very well read it now and think that it was dumb!