To be horrified by this Jacqueline Wilson book and the message it sends to teens?

[AmyFarrahFowlerCooper]

At the moment in on a bit of a nostalgia kick book wise and have been reading all my old Jacqueline Wilson books. I've just finished rereading Love Lessons. Its about a lonely teenager (14) who falls "in love" with her male teacher who reciprocates the feelings and acts upon them.

Basically she confesses that she "loves him" and when they are alone in his car after babysitting, she kisses him and he kisses her back. He tells her that he has been fantasising about her at night and wishing they could be together. At the end of the book, the girl is asked to leave the school so the teacher can stay. On the walk home, the teacher catches her to say he loves her but he's staying with his wife.

When I read this as a teenager, I thought it was romantic and a really sad love story but now as an adult, all I can think is what on earth was JW thinking?! Teenage girls always get crushes on teachers but its like this book is saying to try and act on it because some teachers might love you back.

And then when the girl is asked to leave the school, the things the head teacher says to her are appalling. Quotes:

"You should have thought of that before you started acting in this ridiculous and precocious manner. If I were another kind of head teacher I would have Mr Raxberry instantly suspended. There could even be a court case. He would not only lose his job, he could find himself in very serious trouble. Did you ever stop to think about that?" --> is complete victim blaming and ignoring (and failing to report) abuse.

The girl says "none of this was his fault." and the head teacher says "I'm inclined to believe you." Again blaming the girl for what happened.

Its like JW is saying that a 14 year old girl could be responsible for an adult male risking his job and taking advantage of a pupil. Like she should have been the one to say no. And she's also saying that people in authority (the people someone abused should confide in) might think that way too. What will girls reading that book think?

At no point does JW use the story to explain that this is abuse, the girl is a victim and that the teacher is responsible for the situation and not the girl.

AIBU to be horrified by this book and disappointed in Jacqueline Wilson?

[MangoJuiceAddict]

Jacqueline Wilson books are horrendous and I don't allow my DD (11) to read them. Yes, I understand that they have their place and are possibly useful for some children who are going through hard times. But there was one book (I think it was called Lola Rose) where the main character's mother had breast cancer and it really disturbed my niece, to the point where she was obsessed with my sister's health (her mum) and very paranoid about losing her. My DD read 'Vicky's angel' and became so obsessed with road safety she worried whenever she had to cross the road (the main character's best friend dies in a road accident). My DD now reads Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton. That book sounds horrendous and is a gross example of victim blaming and failure to recognise abuse. I despair. JW books often place an unhealthy emphasis on appearance (I think this has already been mentioned in the thread). I'm still in shock.

[AmyFarrahFowlerCooper]

cory, teenagers may be supposed to have the maturity to analyse other books with dubious content but I assume if its part of the curriculum they do it with some sort of guidance and discussion with adults to help them notice and understand the issues. A teenager (or child) reading Love Lessons might not have access to discussion about it or not have an adult who prereads it and brings up the topic with their child. That's why I think an insert to explain that it is abuse and to explain that in real life (generally, obviously pp's post goes against this) the headteacher would look into it properly and the child wouldn't just be blamed like that would be useful. Otherwise how is a child who has no concept of abuse from a person in a position of trust going to recognise that in the book? And would a child experiencing similar abuse be influenced by the book into not reporting through fear of being blamed and being made to leave school and their friends behind?

[x2boys]

I read a similar book 15 yr old girl newly qualified teacher it was very cleverly done at first it was made to seem that as the teacher was newly qualified and presumably in his early twenties the age gap was not that much, and they wrestled with their feelings but eventually had sex school found out he was let go. she left school having failed all her gcse,s and teacher got a job in a crap college and continued to pursue young girls. I thought it was clever because at first you felt sorry for the teacher but by the end of the book it was clear he was a predator

[Peachyjustpeachy]

i wouldnt let my dd watch programmes that i deem unsuitable, why on earth would i let her read something i deem unsuitable.

when she is an adult, she can read what she likes, but until then... I'm in charge.

sorry if you find that draconian or hysterical... but really, i dont care what YOU think... I care what my DD thinks.

[Lazyjaney]

Dangerous things, books - they have all sorts of ideas in them that may pollute young minds. Best to have none at all in the house, that way is the safe way.

Wikipedia on Fahrenheit 451.......

Over the course of several decades, people embraced new media, sports, and a quickening pace of life. Books were ruthlessly abridged or degraded to accommodate a short attention span. The government did not start the censorship; it merely exploited the situation due to minority groups protesting over the controversial, outdated content found in books. The firemen were soon hired to burn books in the name of public happiness

TV soaps, Hello magazine and Big Brother, that's what young minds need....

[bodingading]

There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.? ― Oscar Wilde

[WeAreEternal]

Personally I preferred the just seventeen books in my teen years.
I think I was a bit too old for JW.

Does anyone remember a series of books, I think they were published by just seventeen or another magazine.
There was a group of friends, a couple of them worked in a diner with booths, it was very american retro, I think one of the girls was called Kerry but went by kaz.
I think it was set in America as there was a bit about deviled eggs.
One of the girls was staying with an aunt or grandmother at the beach.
It was all about teen romance.
I loved those books but can't remember the named of the series.

[ShoutyCrackers]

It's a story. Fiction.

God, people are weird. Credit teenagers with some sense- or do you think they're all going to have pupil-teacher affairs after reading this?

Some people are decidedly odd. And proper lol re book burning

[ArtemisatBrauron]

I knew it would be this book from the title of the thread! My SIL read this when she was a very young teenager and I was at it then, I think I was 19 or 20 at the time.
It is definitely a weird message to send to young girls.

[nailak]

when i was 11 i was reading flowers in the attic....

[flatpackhamster]

AmyFarrahFowlerCooper

I don't think the book should be banned. I think its clear from my posts that I think the book should have some sort of message included inside to explain that it isn't a love story, its an abuse story, and that contrary to what happens in the book to the main character, in real life a child would be supported and helped rather than blamed for their abuse.

They'd best do the same to Nabokov's "Lolita", then, hadn't they? Big red letters on the front saying PAEDIOS AER IN THIS BOOK SO WATCH OUT.

[AmyFarrahFowlerCooper]

shouty, have you read the thread? Main concerns are not that a child/teen would be inspired by the book in regard to affairs but that they may take from it that they might as well not bother reporting abuse as they will be blamed for it like the character in the book. It would have been very easy for her to write the story as is but put a little note in the end to explain what should have happened. Yes, you can argue that she has no responsibility to do that but I'm disappointed in her as a person and author that she writes a book with such a strong victim blaming message and didnt think to counteract the potential influence that could have.

[AmyFarrahFowlerCooper]

Was Lolita aimed at young teenagers, flatpack?

[dirtyface]

bloody hell

i read a similar one as a teen actually but it wasn't by JW, can't remember who it was by but think it was also called love lessons?

the girl actually DATES her teacher for several months and sleeps with him and everything

well dodgy and i did not understand how dodgy it was when i first read it

[EBearhug]

i read a similar one as a teen actually but it wasn't by JW, can't remember who it was by but think it was also called love lessons?

I think that was Love Lessons by David Belbin.

[dirtyface]

yes that was it !!!

[flatpackhamster]

AmyFarrahFowlerCooper

Was Lolita aimed at young teenagers, flatpack?

What if one of them reads it? Can't be too careful. They might read it and decide to go on a road trip with their lodger after their mother dies.

[EuroShopperEnergyDrink]

Prue gets victim blamed because a classmate hears her telling her teacher that she loves him and they should be together, the school never finds about about him kissing her and encouraging her feelings which is why he gets to keep his job.

I'd

[shrinkingnora]

Whoever said their 9 year old was reading Kiss - you need to read it first and decide. It's about a gay boy kissing his friend and th fallout and angst. My 9 year old would probably find it confusing but I would be happy for her to read it in a year or two.

[EuroShopperEnergyDrink]

*I'd imagine if Prue told the teachers everyth

[EuroShopperEnergyDrink]

*I'd imagine if Prue told the teachers everything, the book would have had a different ending that didn't come down so hard on her. I don't think many people here have actually read the book.

[LoveBeingUpAt4InTheMorning]

Op thank you, dd is only 5 but you have made my decision she will not be reading it

[manicinsomniac]

My daughter (10) loves Jaqueline Wilson books and, mostly, I think they're brilliant.

The problem with Love Lessons (and the other ones with more 'teenage' themes like Kiss and Girls Under Pressure/In Love/Out Late) is that the reading age required for them is the same as for the rest of her books aimed at 7-12 year olds. But the maturity required to understand Love Lessons properly (with the unreliable narrator as somone upthread pointed out) would be 14ish when most girls have grown out of them anyway.

I haven't given my daughter any of the 'teen' JW books and by the time I would be happy for her to read them I don't imagine she'll want to. However, I don't really censor and if she discovers them for herself then so be it, we'll talk about them.

[Aworryingtrend]

Off topic-WeareEternal are you thinking of the Heartbreak cafe books? I loved those but thinking back they had very 'mature' themes

[rabbitlady]

i don't know why people allow that woman's drivel to be put into print.