Year 6 Class Novel is...

[Mowgli1970]

Dracula! I think it's inappropriate, though I can see that it would interest boys and jumps on the current trend for vampire-related books/films. Dd is terrified! What do you think of Dracula as reading material for 10 year olds?

Feeny in Reception my children were scared of fairy tales. Many children were very upset by the pantomines the school took them to and many were upset by the choice of dvd the school showed them...kids mature at different ages, their perception of fantasy and reality is often blurred and many parents know their kids better than teachers know them - although somehow the teachers I have encountered so far seem to think otherwise - but I live in hope.

I didn't insist that my kids weren't read fairy stories but I did wish I couldn't have buttoned the lip of the Reception teacher who seemed to think all kids were exactly like her kids - not frightened of anything - it was clear she thought that was down to her superior parenting

But in any case, traditional tales and nursery rhymes are part of the curriculum - there isn't an opt out for parents who believe their little flower shouldn't be exposed to such lurid and violence. I don't know what the answer is when reception teachers read them with too much gusto either, or when pupils are unlucky enough to be taken to pantomimes by their schools.....

Don't know where that and came from, and how does one do square brackets for smileys on a phone keypad, I wonder?

Ah Mrsz - In Yr1 last year my DS came home chanting "When shall we three meet again..."

They used MacBeth in drama - he loved it.

x

I studied the origins of fairy tales during my degree and I don't imagine many parents would read them if they realised Cinderella is a tale of incest and Little Red Riding is a warning about promiscuity and the original wolf was a werewolf

Why read the class an abridged version, though? Better to wait until an appropriate age and read the full version, IMO. It's not as though there aren't plenty of age-appropriate books for Y6.

An abridged version of an older classic is good because often it is the archaic language which is the main obstacle to children's understanding and enjoyment.

Last year, I wouldn't have read aloud an original Sherlock Holmes story but the kids loved an abridged version.

The last thing a teacher should be doing is boring children to death with an incomprehensible story.

I agree, pointydog, but I don't think they should be terrifying children with a scary story either. A middle ground would be good, with the option of choosing Dracula etc. to read independently if that's what you're interested in.

I've never read dracula - original or abridged - so I don't know how scary it is.

Oh Pointy - do read it. I think you'd like it.

Really? The original Dracula?

Ok, I might

Aren't they supposed to be scary, fairy tales? I always thought so.