Should I let him read these ?

[MiniMonty]

Hi all,

DS is 12, at grammar school (yr7), has devoured books since he was six, is precocious and generally very mature (for 12...)
Grandpa lets me know today that he is planning on delivering a package of books as an Xmas present and asks me if I think he's "ready for them" -

I've read them all but cannot remember well enough the level of explicit sexual content or violence / horror / dread / threat etc.,
Also, I wonder if, at 12, you could really "geddit" with a book like Catch 22 i.e. historical persperctive, the satire, the ridiculousness of finding a share certificate where there should be a parachute. Anyway - all and any advice / opinions / perspectives much appreciated. the list is:

Catch 22, Joseph Heller.
Candide, Voltaire.
Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut.
To Kill a Mocking Bird, Harper Lee.
1984, George Orwell.
Brave New World, Aldus Huxley.
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad.

I'd start with 'to kill a mocking bird' and 'brave new world'. The others can wait a few years.

I would say yes. 12 seems a good age for him to decide how 'serious' to take a book and may well give him an edge over his classmates in 2 years when they come to study GCSE.

I used to read A Child Called IT and psychologist books my DM gave to me and I think I coped pretty well

Hope he enjoys them!

At 12, I guess he's going to make up his own mind whether he wants to read them or not. Personally, I don't see any harm in giving any of these to him - just as long as his grandfather is not going to be disappointed if he chooses not to read them...

I'm not sure that a 12 year old, however mature, would "get" something like the satire of Slaughterhouse 5 or the heavy psychological insight of Heart of Darkness.

I'd also say that To Kill a Mocking Bird might be the best one to start with, then the two visions of the future, although these both have sexual content.

Candide I haven't read.

In the end, it'll be his own choice and you know him best - great that he's so keen to read!

I read 1984 about that age. Didn't enjoy it, but it isn't my kind of book. I like a happy ending. I'm fairly sensitive to nastiness but that one didn't leave me with anything other than a bit of an anticlimax feeling.

To Kill a Mocking bird is the best of those I'd reckon. Dd1 (11yo) dipped into it a bit last year looking at the racial issues when she was asking questions, but I've encouraged her to leave it for a couple of years when she can enjoy it more.

I've read 1984 and Heart of Darkness for my English degree. I have Brave New World coming up. I agree with DeWe, I can't deal with an unhappy ending. I'm not sure if I would want my 12 year old reading it but maybe that's my issue and my oldest is only 9 so I may well change my mind as she gets older.

I think he'd be bored to tears by Heart of Darkness.

Just as long as you don't get him A Clockwork Orange.

1984 and To Kill a Mockingbird certainly seem like the best starting points - and probably Brave New World. Heart of Darkness is very dense - not sure many 12 yos would enjoy it as such . How about suggesting some more action/adventure stuff as slightly more accessible alongside this (Sherlock Holmes, The Lost World, The Hobbit) or has he already been through these? CAtcher in the Rye is another great adolescent book, imo....

There is little explicit sexual content in To Kill a Mockingbird but you would want to be sure he can deal with the rape theme and the father/daughter violence, possible incest, as well as the racism. From a text-ony point of view, it's an easy book to read but it's a real thumper if you're not ready for it.

He's possibly a little young for them - the danger to me is that he'll find them boring and never go back to them. I would agree that To Kill A Mockingbird would be fine (he might not get all the nuances, but the story should keep him interested). 1984 and Brave New World- again, he'll probably 'get' enough of it but not all.

Regarding sexual content - it's not overly explicit in any of these books (as far as I can remember!) so I wouldn't worry too much about that, as long as you feel he's ready to cope with it.

BTW, well done to Grandpa - when I was 15, my English teacher gave us a list of 'Books we ought to read', and these were all on it. I was keeping that list to see if I ever read them all - I wonder what I did with it...

my parents never censored any books when i was a kid/teenager other than marquis de sade. i was happily reading william burroughs at 12. i think the bits i didn't really understand just went over my head, though i can remember asking my mum something about s&m when i was around that age and her saying 'i'll tell you when you're older'

I am not convinced he will perservere with these particular books and enjoy them but then I don't know him. Still, if your father is giving them to him now, he can see how he gets on. They may just end up on a shelf to be picked up again in a couple of years time. What sort of things does he like to read atm when he gets to choose?

I have a 12yo bookwork DS too.

On your list, my thinking is:

Catch 22, Joseph Heller: okay, but you're right, he's too young to fully appreciate it; and lots of it is turgid in beginning as I recall, anyway.

Candide, Voltaire: the only one I haven't read, so no comment; I suspect too philosogphical.

Slaughterhouse 5, Kurt Vonnegut: I couldn't understand it when I was 16, so I think it's too confusing; better to save until later.

To Kill a Mocking Bird, Harper Lee: yes, fine, I reread recently.

1984, George Orwell: okay, some of it stark.

Brave New World, Aldus Huxley: ditto, but mostly fine.

Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad: NO; way too harrowing.

If Grandpa is into American classics I suggest Ernest Hemingway (anything) & the likes of Homage to Catalonia (Orwell). Dashiell Hammet, and other "Sam Spade" type writers of that era, too, their short story collections.

We overthink presents these days.

Let grandpa give his present adn your ds can decide if he want s to read them or leave them for a couple of years.

If your DS asks your views, you can say - as my mother did - that some of them he might enjoy more when older. But as mrsr says, much will go over his head, and like others I think 1984 and Mockingbird are good starters. I read Brave New World and Heart of Darkness at that age: in some ways it's quite a good age because you've got more patience than later one. I'm not a Vonnegut fan, but TBH, if he has enjoyed things like the Cherub series he might enjoy some of that. I honestly wouldn't worry.