To think books should have age certificates

[mrswhiskerson]

There is a debate going on at the minute about certifying music videos which I do agree with , I love music videos and some of them can be real works of art but I do not want my ds watching close ups of rihannas bum boobs or crotch. I also shouldn't have to not be able to watch the music channel while I am doing my ironing for fear of ds watching three am a
half minutes of soft porn.

What has surprised me though is no one ever mentions books. I have been an avid reader since childhood and some of the things I read were to old for me a notable book was American psycho which I read at fifteen after the film came out , it really disturbed me . Isn't the imagination worse than what you see? There is nothing in place to stop young people buying horrific books from waterstones and the like and these books could have a negative effect.

I learnt all I needed to know about relationships from
Judy Blume's Forever

So did I seenbutnotheard Ralph!!!

Some books already do have suggestions on the cover. DD read a couple of books from a series (CHERUB??) and it had a warning on the back cover that it might not be suitable for younger readers. Think it's all up to the publishers. But honestly, as long as parents vet books in the teenage sections of bookshops before buying them, there shouldn't be a problem. You can read plots and excerpts online usually, and i've never seen a library or bookshop that grouped all childrens books together, they were split generally according to age anyway. I wouldn't agree with restricting books, I don't mind if there is a general guide on them

ILoveTIFFANY - Wilson groupsd her books in age categories on her website, I assume she was aiming for those

Valliumredhead bet you read Flowers in the Attic too then?

I think I am quite capable of judging whether a book is suitable for my children to read.

But reading should be an enjoyable venture - prescribing what some can/can't read is just another wall to be monitored and debated. What would the ratings be based on - context, content, language .... and how would you go about a PG rating??

It is a daft situation that children are excluded from the HP movies, but there is no restriction when it comes to them reading the books (The fact that they are utter bollocks aside) !! Will the advice be yes you can buy it and read it, but only if you read it in eyesight/with an adult??? I don't quite know how it would be implemented.

Books also only suggest - even if I do read something to my DD when it could be deemed inappropraite - the situation is usually diffused with a talk couched in language and terms she knows or just edited out of the bedtime story - I don't need someone telling me what I can read to my children.

its when you arent around which is the problem slightlymad72

OP, did you buy the book because of the film?

seen of COURSE I did! Along with all of Jilly Cooper's books

What books warnings are needed is to alert the parent to the fact that some books (Fairy books) are a load of stereotypical, repetitive drivel written badly to engage bad readers to learn the 'joy' of books ...

Any parent in doubt could buy a book about suggestions for children's books, speak to a librarian or bookseller - we don't need some arbitrary rating ...

Never use the blurb (on a book or a DVD) to assess suitability - unless you are happy to be surprised.

DM lent me a book while I was in hospital suffering from v. high BP and 36 weeks pregnant. The book told the story of an older woman (like me), who got unexpectedly pregnant once her children were grown-up. She decided to go ahead with the pregnancy, but got high BP, had a stroke, gave birth in a coma, died and left the baby to be brought up by her devastated older children.

DM was mortified as the blurb didn't reflect any of this, and it clearly wasn't suitable for my particular circumstances. If only she had read a few pages, she would have quickly picked up the vibe of the story.

i found 'forever' crap and tepid. i was already reading things with BDSM content aged 12....

the thing about a book is it is not as easy a medium as film - you have to understand the lanugage to be scared by it. You have to put in the time to read it and get involved to be touched by the story.

on the other hand, maybe if you put 18 certificates on books, younger teenagers would be more encouraged to read them :)

I have what you could count as a library in my living room that is open and accessible to all members of the family, my children know that the books on those shelves are mine and if they would like to read any of them they must ask first, so I can then judge whether they are suitable for them.
When I am not around they do not touch the books, I know they don't as I am obsessive about them and know the location of all of them on the shelves, my DH says I am freaky arsed about it

what about the library then? bookshop? charity shop?

they can go in and browse the pics in 'joy of sex'

Shops, Libraries etc they are with me or another adult who keeps an eye on them making sure they are not doing something they shouldn't be, like looking at badly drawn pictures in the 'Joy of sex', which they wouldn't have access to as I wouldn't be near that 'section' with my children.

ooh can't look at the name Ralph in the same way again after reading Forever.

Jilly Cooper was also informative...

Does no-one flick through the book any more before they buy it? Do we have to be told everything because we are incapable of making our own decision?

think yabu - there's probably no issue re younger childrens books - its really only once children reach stage where they can easily read more adult books that you're concerned about - I can't explain clearly why I disagree with ratings but I really do - -

I think there's something about bringing the "nanny state" even more into our lives, something about letting our children explore for themselves to some extent... finding things out is part of growing up - if you find out things that are disquieting well maybe overall thats probably a good thing in terms of learning...... I don't think its realistic or indeed good to control every aspect of childs life to a very detailed degree... when my son (11) goes to library I've never made any issues about what books he chooses - or indeed if buying books which ones he buys- never crossed my mind to do so - - think part of it is that its just feels like such a good thing that a child likes reading that I wouldn't consider restricting it...

slightlymad......how about when they go out and about.....on their own??

Go out on their own? Don't be ridiculous, with mental dogs, sticky kids, paeds on every corner, you think I will let them have any freedom before the age of 25? Sorry no way, in their bedrooms they will stay, with my aggressive dogs on guard!!!!!!

I remember stealing my mothers Woman's Own because it had a SEALED section inside about sex, orgasms and foreplay!

I remember the word 'spooning' being mentioned a lot and clitoris. I was about 8 years old and it was the most horrifying thing I ever read.

I really don't think I am being unreasonable , I was a very good reader from a very young age and could read adult books and I did learn about things I really shouldn't have .

When I say age certificates I do not mean childrens books I agree that would be a terrible idea I mean books like Stephen king Clive barker etc and books like jackie collins and the ilk , do we really want our children Reading books full of violence and sex especially as the imagination is very strong.

Yes certain bookshops have their books in sections but not all . Like I have said I read books full of horror and sex because I could and my parents who are not readers did not know what I was Reading .

A eighteen certificate or a guide to the content on a book lik. American psycho would have alerted my parents to the fact I was Reading something utterly unsuitable and something which gave me nightmares for a while after.

MrsTerryP, how old were you when you read Shogun (By James Clavell I assume)?
I must have been about 14 and and I loved it (although I do agree that it is about a very alien and violent culture). It is utterly fascinating - as are Tipan and Noble house. However, don't let your DCs or sensitive adults anywhere near King Rat it is about a Japanese POW camp and that really is all you need to know.
To answer the OPs question I don't want age limits saying your only 11 you can't read that it says 12 kind. However, book people type guidelines can be helpful, under 9 harmless, 9 - 12 real life subjects may be tackled in an age appropriate way, characters may die, get divorced etc, but in comfortable Jackie Wilson way. 12+ you know the facts of life, but you don't need explicit sex and violence for a good story.
This last label isn't really 12+ (I started on adult spy stories at 12) it's a you might like to read it before letting a primary school child read it (Just as DD2 would watch some 12 films at 8, but others scared or board her.

How did you get hold of all these books and how old were you, whiskers? And, apart from a few nightmares, was it really that bad for you?

I got quite a lot of my sex education from page three of the Telegraph as an eight year old. I can't remember being traumatised by it. What did terrify me as a drama workshop we did at school aged nine. I still remember Zyblique the monster who turned everything it touched to ice. I couldn't get to sleep for days after, probably because we didn't have a TV so I wasn't used to drama like that.