To say my DM was not unreasonable to let me read adult books aged 11?

[CraveThatRadox]

I adore reading and in school, was very natural at English and History. I actively spoke about these things and I've always been a very passionate person on topics of interest. When I look back, I owe this to my DM giving me grown up books.

I was in Year 6, so about 11 (I'm a September baby), when I stumbled upon her 'Pillars of The Earth' book.

I said "Oh what's this about?". I was given a rough idea but couldn't stop asking. She then said "read it, if you like. It's quite dense though".

I did read it. I couldn't put the thing down. I had read the whole thing within two weeks or so. I brought it to school to read during reading time once, and it got confiscated

*Chatterley not Charley's - apparently reading "the classics" pre puberty does not mean that you can proofread in your 40s...

Even if you accept that it's fine for children to read adult books, why are we always talking about horror and stuff with loads of sex in them?

Are we always? DD is a voracious reader. She's particularly loved Wuthering Heights, Dracula (ok horror but tame), Jane Eyre. She loves James Herriot novels.

As with anything surely it depends on the child. I was reading James Herbert at 9. Nothing was scary enough for me.

In fact I'm still waiting to find the perfect terrifying book

AWendy No I haven't tried her with that actually. I loved it as a child though. She's seen the Studio Ghibli adaptation and liked it so would probably enjoy the book.

JacquesHammer OMG, I forgot all about the James Herriot books! I think I'm on about my 4th set of them because I read them so much as a child and teen. My daughter would love them! Thanks for the reminder!!

I read Edna O'Brien's The Country Girls in year 5! It was sat on my school desk and I think the teacher was a little at the cover!

Nobody they're absolutely glorious aren't they 😊

This thread is bringing back so many memories... flowers in the attic, Jilly cooper, Jackie Collins, Lace, the Thornbirds etc

As for making dd read 'horror and stuff with loads of sex', I haven't chosen a book for dd since her Roald Dahl days. She isn't interested in reading sexy stuff but is quite partial to horror and violence. She's 16 now and, despite being sorely tempted at times, she hasn't stabbed me in my sleep yet.

I have hidden American Psycho, but otherwise all books are accessible in our house. Eldest dc (only one with that sort of reading ability at the moment) is far more into non-fiction though.

My parents never censored my reading. I do vividly remember pretty much pleading with the village librarian to let me take out one of Terry Pratchett's books rather than a kids book when I was about 8. (Went with the school and were only meant to take out books from our correct age bit. We're talking tiny, tiny village library the size of a large living room! And I'd been going every week with my babysitter anyway and devoured pretty much all the kids offerings!)

I read a lot of horror, crime and fantasy as a kid. Now I'm a lazy reader cause I just want something that requires little brain input. I've read 164 novels and novellae so far this year - yes, I do keep track...I have a spreadsheet. 99% of this is MM romance. Often very graphic. Definitely not kid suitable. My fave authors for such are the likes of Garrett Leigh, Santino Hassell and Heidi Cullinan, to name but a few.

I remember reading Bill Bryson's autobiography at the age of 8 and being perturbed to discover the N-word

I remember finding Rider Haggard when I was 11. I bought a copy of She at a jumble sale and was hooked. When I was little my grandparents had an outhouse stuffed with old books. There was a white leather bound copy of The Ancient Mariner with tissue between the pages and amazing illustrations. One was "The Nightmare Life in Death was she" I went back to it time after time. I was 9. I wish I knew what happened to it.

I was allowed to read anything. Never did me any harm and just advanced my skills

She wasn't unreasonable. I've always been an avid reader and was reading adult books by 11. I'm glad my parents never tried to control or censor my reading. I tended to do it myself - if I didn't understand a book at all, I'd put it down, and I'd skip over the pages if there was a sex scene because at that age I found it embarrassing and wasn't interested in reading about it.

My parents weren't interested in reading so they'd just drop me off at the library and let me get what I wanted. The librarian once questioned me over Interview With The Vampire, but that was it (and I loved Anne Rice at 12!).

I did this. I was reading biographies at primary age.

Ds1 has been reading adult books since primary. He also read all of the GOT books. He's now almost 20. He got A* in his English literature A level. He's doing really well at uni just going into 2nd year law.

I was reading adult books from around the age of nine or ten - some with my mum's blessing, some that I took from the bookshelves without her knowing. Kids are pretty good at self-censoring; I tried Jane Austen's Emma at least twice aged ten but found it too dull (and therefore too grown up) to finish.

The only thing I regret reading was a horrible book of 'true stories' about satanism when I was in y5 (borrowed from a classmate) that gave me horrific nightmares for a year.

Oh I also remember aged about seven reading a book from the 70s aimed at older children which used the word 'nigger', and having to ask my mum what it meant. I was really thrown because I had been imaging the main character as white (came from quite a non-diverse area so was my default) and hadn't encountered overt racism before, so I didn't know how to process what I was reading.

AWendyAteMyFitbit

"Wouldn't say Pillars of the Earth was dense, but there are a lot of sex/rapey scenes I don't think I'd be comfortable with an 11 yr old reading that or its sequel."

It's one of my very favourite books, but it starts with a public hanging and a particularly vitriolic curse, followed by graphically painful childbirth and maternal death, and a vivid sex scene. I wouldn't have known what to do with that at eleven, although I was a very advanced reader!

For me the danger of banning books is that the child - if their interest has been piqued - can always get hold of it and read it anyway

I'd far rather I knew what my DD was reading and ensure she knows she can always discuss with me anything she reads.

Not unreasonable

I was in love with the sherlock holmes books at that age and my parents had to do a letter to the library asking for an adult card for me...which they did

I read "Animal Farm" at 10. I took it absolutely at face value - a story about pigs, and horses and sheep. Read it again for English O level and got rather a different take on it .

Having only just finished the Famous Five series, I read a Margaret Drabble book about two sisters when I was 10. I remember being mortified at a description of the main character's nipples as jelly babies. I found the novel compelling though and went on to read more of MD's stuff that year.

Fast forward....I read loads of heavy Russian stuff at 15 but I also loved Jackie Collins at that age. I enjoyed the Go Between as a teen. Read Lord of the Flies around that time too, and found it tedious. And yes yes yes to Agatha Christie!

I don't think I read anything age-appropriate from the age of 10 onwards.

barbarian

I read that at an early age on Christmas eve

And then told my mum i wasnt going to eat meat anymore....

Her face

(Turns out that although i was an advanced reader i was fairly fucking stupid...they managed to convince me that chicken didnt count, at least for a few years, they tried with pork...but i wasnt falling for that!!)

I took lord of flies in in yr 7 and the volunteer who read with us gasped grabbed it out of my hand and said "oh gosh, your mummy must have put this in your bag by mistake!" And proceeded to get a roald dahl book I'd read approx 6 times out for me "to try"