An op-ed in today's Times, Summer Reading List Blues by Barbara Feinberg looks at the harsh realistic fiction being required of kids on summer reading lists.
They tend not to be about children having adventures or fighting foes in slightly enchanted realms, as the young characters do in, say, "A Wrinkle in Time," the 1962 classic by Madeleine L'Engle. Instead, they depict children who must "come to terms," "cope with" and "work through" harsh realties. Where characters in my books lollygagged in meadows, as it were, the children in these books are trying to hack their way out of cellars.
I completely agree with her comments -- I'd take Harry Potter over the "problem novels" that they're being forced to read. Which, of course, is why I picked sci-fi intead of realistic fiction for my genre fiction selections for class...
Posted by Emily at July 18, 2004 11:20 PMI totally agree too! While I think it may be a good idea to have opportunities for kids to 'see themselves' in stories about modern kids who share their problems ... It seems to me that kids - particularly pre-teens and teens - are likely to allow themselves to be swept up in angst and drama that happens to others, including fictional characters. It's almost like they can come to think there's something wrong with them if they're not suicidal!
Posted by: lisa kimball at July 19, 2004 03:55 AM