I turned out mostly ok and was reading King well before 12. There were quite a few things I didn’t understand yet but it didn’t make me want to go out and assault people or something
I’m more concerned about the unrestricted access. Kids often have the emotional and logical understanding to read these works, but the point of the library is to have easy and unblocked access to the material, which topics featured in King’s books are heavy and it should be up to the parents to guide and help them read. Over 12/13 the kids should be able to pick for themselves bar pornographic material like that one book everyone always argues over.
I’m on the other end of the fence on this one. Knowledge shouldn’t be withheld due to arbitrary lines. If the parents aren’t tuned into what their children are reading or if the kid feels they must hide away what they’re reading, it’s indicative of more serious issues than books.
I say this with a kid who’s just starting to learn their letters and not at a point of reading on their own yet. If they want to pick up Ulysses or the silmarillion, I’m not stopping them. I will warn them they’ve chosen books that are very advanced and they will have more questions than answers while reading.
The problem here is you chose two non-controverisal books that have harder themes but are still mostly pg. I would argue most parents editor give their 10yo the silmarillion, but i highly doubt many would give them Game of Thrones.
‘Appropriate for children’ is what I have an issue with.
Withholding knowledge because of an arbitrary line is the antithesis of learning. Who gets to determine what is appropriate and for whom?
If my kid wants to read something with content that’s more mature, I’m ok with that. If I’ve read it, I’ll warn them of the more shaky bits that they’ll come across and what is and isn’t ok especially relative to their age and mentality.
If they bring home fifty shades, I’ll have a discussion about it with them and the concepts of consent as well as body autonomy and let them know that what happens in that book are not that.
The parents at that age. Also, let’s not kid ourselves, if you had a kid at that age you wouldn’t let them read fifty shades, you would take it and explain it had adult themes and they can read it when they’re an adult.
Based on arrests, valid allegations and mountains of evidence…this is the party that spends an awful lot of time *thinking of children". And not in a safe way
Bullshit, most of his work is fine for anyone able to read it. If you think there are exception, make those specific exceptions …. Although most of us will likely disagree
Just going off what google says are King’s top 10 works:
The Shining - Violence, Mental Health, Psychosis
The Green Mile - Good for most kids that can understand the concept of racism.
Salem’s Lot - I have not read this one, but the internet says it’s gore heavy and horror filled.
Carrie - Gore
IT - Horror, Violence, and the sewer scene.
Pet Semetsry - Considered to be King’s most disturbing book.
Doctor Sleep- Shining sequel, still horror and violence.
11/22/63 - Good
The Stand - Violence, though better than the others.
The Dead Zone - Probably good, thougj has mature themes.
If 7/8 of the top 10 King works are not good for children, and King is the world’s foremost horror writer, it is safe to assume many of his works are not good for a younger audience without guidance and supervision. Obviously Stephen King has novels and stories suitable for young children, and each book should be looked at on their own not as a collective.
Which are not acceptable for children? This thread posits 12 as a cutoff, and I probably read most or all of those, that had been written at the time, before I was 12. I’m not seeing the concern
Yeah, Salems Lot is a great horror story … but it’s really no different than most vampire stories (ok, not the romantic bs stories). Just better written. Do we ban all vampires for kids under 12?
Dead Zone was one of my favorites as a child. Where else can you have a story about superpowers that includes limits and consequences, and is more cynical about how the world would react?
I thought Carrie was especially good for middle schoolers, or mature elementary. It’s mostly about bullying and angst, with a bit of cathartic getting even. It’s very relevant to their lives, but in a fantasy setting.
If a 12 year old can get through Green Mile, more power to them. I didn’t encounter that until I was older, and it was quite a slog to get through. The message is important and it was well written, but very much the opposite of action.
Yeah, pet Semetary is pretty disturbing. A kid hoping for a light read about puppies and kittens is going to get a shock. That one’s going to cause nightmares …… but there’s also a message of grief and loss of a beloved pet that they may relate to
Exactly, they are heavy themes and should be read with parental guidance. Also I got the ages mixed up I thought 12 was 5th/6th grade, turns out it’s 7th. Should be closer to 10.
The books shouldn’t be banned in high schools for sure. I could see the argument for middle schools, and the books should never see anyone under 12.
I turned out mostly ok and was reading King well before 12. There were quite a few things I didn’t understand yet but it didn’t make me want to go out and assault people or something
I’m more concerned about the unrestricted access. Kids often have the emotional and logical understanding to read these works, but the point of the library is to have easy and unblocked access to the material, which topics featured in King’s books are heavy and it should be up to the parents to guide and help them read. Over 12/13 the kids should be able to pick for themselves bar pornographic material like that one book everyone always argues over.
I’m on the other end of the fence on this one. Knowledge shouldn’t be withheld due to arbitrary lines. If the parents aren’t tuned into what their children are reading or if the kid feels they must hide away what they’re reading, it’s indicative of more serious issues than books.
I say this with a kid who’s just starting to learn their letters and not at a point of reading on their own yet. If they want to pick up Ulysses or the silmarillion, I’m not stopping them. I will warn them they’ve chosen books that are very advanced and they will have more questions than answers while reading.
The problem here is you chose two non-controverisal books that have harder themes but are still mostly pg. I would argue most parents editor give their 10yo the silmarillion, but i highly doubt many would give them Game of Thrones.
I chose notoriously difficult books to get through. I’d have the same opinion for ‘the joy of sects’ and ‘the joy of sex’
Difficult to get through does not equal appropriate for children. A kid can read a hard book, plenty do.
‘Appropriate for children’ is what I have an issue with.
Withholding knowledge because of an arbitrary line is the antithesis of learning. Who gets to determine what is appropriate and for whom?
If my kid wants to read something with content that’s more mature, I’m ok with that. If I’ve read it, I’ll warn them of the more shaky bits that they’ll come across and what is and isn’t ok especially relative to their age and mentality.
If they bring home fifty shades, I’ll have a discussion about it with them and the concepts of consent as well as body autonomy and let them know that what happens in that book are not that.
The parents at that age. Also, let’s not kid ourselves, if you had a kid at that age you wouldn’t let them read fifty shades, you would take it and explain it had adult themes and they can read it when they’re an adult.
Based on arrests, valid allegations and mountains of evidence…this is the party that spends an awful lot of time *thinking of children". And not in a safe way
Bullshit, most of his work is fine for anyone able to read it. If you think there are exception, make those specific exceptions …. Although most of us will likely disagree
Just going off what google says are King’s top 10 works:
The Shining - Violence, Mental Health, Psychosis
The Green Mile - Good for most kids that can understand the concept of racism.
Salem’s Lot - I have not read this one, but the internet says it’s gore heavy and horror filled.
Carrie - Gore
IT - Horror, Violence, and the sewer scene.
Pet Semetsry - Considered to be King’s most disturbing book.
Doctor Sleep- Shining sequel, still horror and violence.
11/22/63 - Good
The Stand - Violence, though better than the others.
The Dead Zone - Probably good, thougj has mature themes.
If 7/8 of the top 10 King works are not good for children, and King is the world’s foremost horror writer, it is safe to assume many of his works are not good for a younger audience without guidance and supervision. Obviously Stephen King has novels and stories suitable for young children, and each book should be looked at on their own not as a collective.
Which are not acceptable for children? This thread posits 12 as a cutoff, and I probably read most or all of those, that had been written at the time, before I was 12. I’m not seeing the concern
Yeah, Salems Lot is a great horror story … but it’s really no different than most vampire stories (ok, not the romantic bs stories). Just better written. Do we ban all vampires for kids under 12?
Dead Zone was one of my favorites as a child. Where else can you have a story about superpowers that includes limits and consequences, and is more cynical about how the world would react?
I thought Carrie was especially good for middle schoolers, or mature elementary. It’s mostly about bullying and angst, with a bit of cathartic getting even. It’s very relevant to their lives, but in a fantasy setting.
If a 12 year old can get through Green Mile, more power to them. I didn’t encounter that until I was older, and it was quite a slog to get through. The message is important and it was well written, but very much the opposite of action.
Yeah, pet Semetary is pretty disturbing. A kid hoping for a light read about puppies and kittens is going to get a shock. That one’s going to cause nightmares …… but there’s also a message of grief and loss of a beloved pet that they may relate to
Exactly, they are heavy themes and should be read with parental guidance. Also I got the ages mixed up I thought 12 was 5th/6th grade, turns out it’s 7th. Should be closer to 10.