Sunday, 24 March 2013

Vetting Science Fiction Books For Teens

By Jill Faulkner


It makes any parent proud to have a teenager that spends endless hours lost in a book. Even so, smart parents know that science fiction books for teens must be vetted somewhat to establish that the material is appropriate. Some of the stories that are out there sort of ride the line, and others are just outright wildly unacceptable for anyone under the age of eighteen.

There have been some vampire type stories which have come out over the years that are basically erotica novels. While a sixteen or seventeen year old might be at an age where this is okay reading material, a twelve or thirteen year old certainly is not. Reading reviews on some of these novels is probably a very good idea for parents with young teenagers.

Another element within this genre that parents must take into consideration is how much violence is too much. The fact is, there is always some element of violence in these stories, but reading about these things and seeing them on a television or movie screen are very different. A parent really has to come to their own conclusions about what level of violence their children are allowed to read.

The literary world made it somewhat easier for parents by releasing book series that are specifically geared towards young people. This does make it easier for those parents who get most of their information from television. Often the best material for kids is advertised specifically for them, although this still does not guarantee that what the world considers appropriate actually is.

In fact, it is a good rule of thumb for parents that what is located at the school library is very likely to be geared toward that age group. The schools are given very specific information about age appropriate reading material. It is the materials that are purchased from a store or obtained from a public library that parents need to look at most closely.

An issue that some families run into is that what is regarded as acceptable in one family is not necessarily okay in another. Nowhere is this more obvious than in very strictly religious households where even somewhat benign material is regarded as inappropriate. These parents run into a lot of problems because the second something is against the rules, their kids just want it more.

It is in human nature to get our hands on the most forbidden materials, and many Christian parents run up against this issue. One thing many parents do to actually get their kids to read something specific is to put it on a top shelf and claim it is taboo material. Sure enough they will see their kids sneaking exactly those books off the shelf, as they had secretly intended.

When it comes down to it, the only way to ensure what science fiction books for teens are going to be appropriate is for the parents to read it themselves. Rather than trusting outside sources like schools and churches, knowing what is in the material is just smart. A parent cannot really get upset about what their kids read if they haven't taken it upon themselves to read it first.




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