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What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

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Original poster

The Fault in our Stars- 11 year old.

45 replies

IsItMe789 · 03/08/2014 23:43

My daughter is 11 in two weeks time and has been nagging me to buy her the book- The Fault in our Stars. If you or your child have read it do you feel its suitable for an 11 year old? I have heard what happens in the end and I don't think thats really the problem. I am however a little concerned about the mild sex scene.

It doesn't help that her new secondary school has recommended it on the year 7 reading list.

Thanks

OP posts:

Tylastar · 03/08/2014 23:45

I think it's a little old for an 11 year old.
I've ready it and it's quite emotionally heavy! I cried like a baby! There's also a sex bit in the book.

Personally I wouldn't give it to an 11yo but it's parental preference.

OwooenBled · 04/08/2014 09:31

My 16 year old read it a while ago and says she would not recommend it for an 11 year old.

BertieBotts · 04/08/2014 09:35

Year 7 reading list! I'd say mature 12/13+ really. She's only ten.

If you're interested in a book which has themes of teenagers coping with cancer and losing a friend at that age I absolutely loved (and cried buckets over) the Jess the Border Collie books. The cancer storyline isn't until the last book (so don't spoil it!) but she might like that. They're quite a bit more grown up than Animal Ark etc but nothing really inappropriate like sex, drugs etc.

BertieBotts · 04/08/2014 09:35

Although the older covers look far more grown up than the modern ones. What have they done to it!!

Fruityb · 04/08/2014 09:37

Only for mature 11 year old. We had some read it at work but more towards the second half of the year. There is sex in it but it's not descriptive and more hinted at if I remember rightly. It's a heartbreaking book however!

On a side note I wouldn't recommend any other John Green books for that age range. I just read Looking for Alaska and while I loved it, it really concerns me I picked it up off a shelf that also contained Roald Dahl novels and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It really does not belong there! Between us we have read all of his at work and find it worrying he's classified with kid fiction when it should be young adult.

Chumhum · 04/08/2014 09:38

My 12 year old has read it, loved it, went to the premier of the film with almost her entire class. She thinks it's a great book and has led to some really good chats with her friends.

OldBeanbagz · 04/08/2014 09:40

Definately a Y7 book. My 12yo DD and all her friends have read it and seen the movie.

The sex scene isn't too graphic and presumably she's already had a sex ed class?

OldBeanbagz · 04/08/2014 09:42

Your DD that is. I know mine has had a sex ed lesson!

Tylastar · 04/08/2014 09:45

He is classified as YA :)

Why not buy it and give it a read through yourself first?

I adore John Green, his storytelling is wonderful.

EugeneKrabs · 04/08/2014 09:52

My DD (only just 12) read it when she was 11 and adored it. It was in the young readers section of her school library (yr7 at the time). Admittedly, she is a "mature" 11 but she really loved the book, so much so that she re read it (unheard of!) and insisted we saw the film at the cinema, which we duly did and it was very good.

It's quite an uplifting story actually, in a funny way, and the sex doesn't take centre stage or come across as creepy or wrong in any way. Maybe I'm more liberal, I don't know, but I have talked about sex in an age appropriate way to all of my children from them being tiny, so a bit of kissing on the TV or an inference of mild sexual activity in a '12' film doesn't freak them out or cause us all to go all Victorian.

Original poster

IsItMe789 · 04/08/2014 11:26

Thanks for all the replies, a real mix of opinions. She is quite mature for her age and has had all her sex ed classes. But I think the best thing to do is for me to read it first and decide from there. She seems happy with that compromise, although I will have a struggle to get her to read another in the meantime. She's not overly keen on reading so I was hoping this book would grab her attention.

I will also have a look at the other suggestions made.

Thanks everyone.

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BertieBotts · 04/08/2014 11:33

I find it bizarre that books are being marketed at younger and younger children, it seems odd. Even the book I recommended, the cover to me looks like it would attract a 7-10 year old whereas really those books are probably more 8-12.

Looking for Alaska has really dark themes and I wouldn't recommend for anyone under 14 really. It shouldn't be on a shelf with Roald Dahl.

motherinferior · 04/08/2014 11:36

If she wanted to read it, I'd let her. But then my 11 year old reads her 13 year old sister's books - short of wrestling them out of her paws I can't stop her. I don't pre-read stuff for them - life's short and there are far too many things I want to read myself.

DD2 has been told to read The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins for Y7, which I think is utterly splendid.

ElephantsNeverForgive · 04/08/2014 11:53

I agree there does seem to be a move to get Y5/6 to read that are more suitable for mature Y7 and 8. The hunger games because of the main theme and His Dark Materials because you miss the magic of it, are the two that annoy me.

My DDs were 13/16 when they read AFIOS and both cried buckets at the book and the film.

So in theory I'd say no wait a year, but in 4 weeks she'll be able to get it out the senior school library, so buying a copy and reading it first might be a better plan.

You also have to remember, we have far more experience of bad things in RL than (hopefully) or DCs do. I can't read a fault in our stars, I'd think of someone I knew, I'd imagine my own teens getting ill. Teens can be oddly more detached.

At 12-13 I devoured thrillers and never bothered visulising the violent bits I just liked fast plots without waffling discriptions.

Original poster

IsItMe789 · 04/08/2014 12:22

I'm really not sure why older books are aimed at younger children, even the school reading list is doing it. I really can't imagine my nearly 11 year old sitting down to read The Hunger Games. I'm sure the year 6 children are at different reading levels, but I'd be surprised if the difference was that much.

As with all kids my daughter wants to be more grown up than she is, so she is going to want to read things aimed at older children. I wanted her to read The Boy in striped pyjamas, but she said it looks boring and unfortunately I can't force her to read a certain book.

OP posts:

BertieBotts · 04/08/2014 12:48

I wonder if it's just that a teacher has heard the film came out recently and thought it would be a good way to encourage them to read it. But it is a strange choice of book IMO.

Tylastar · 04/08/2014 14:51

John Green has a YouTube account and he talks about all these kinds of issues with his books.
His account is Vlogbrothers.

Looking For Alaska got banned from schools for having a sex scene.

Fruityb · 04/08/2014 15:05

Looking for Alaska has the line "french, feel, funeral, fuck" and a chapter about blow jobs. It's a fab book but shouldn't be marketed towards 11 year olds. Young adult should be more closely monitored as I would say young adults are 14+.

We're really careful at work as although the book may be for their age range and some kids can cope with it and be mature, we don't want parents of those that are not demanding to know why their kid has asked what a blow job is lol.

I always think boy in the striped pyjamas is an odd one for primary school kids, which some do, as I don't think they fully understand the naivety of it. It's something to be handled by older kids as well.

TFIOS is an uplifting sadness, but it's heartbreaking all the same. I loved it. As part of my job I read a lot of teen fiction as I like to be able to recommend books to kids as well as making sure they don't take something inappropriate.

Stinkle · 04/08/2014 15:10

My DD is 12, nearly 13.

I second (third? Fourth?) the suggestion to read it yourself first

I've read the book, but not seen the film - I read it before giving it to DD

She's read the book and seen the film - she cried buckets at the film, but loved both. I don't think the book is quite so cry-buckety as the film

I was fine with her reading/watching it. The sex scene in the book was very mild.

She's also read/watched the Hunger Games books and enjoyed them too.

Mine is a year or so older though, at 10, nearly 11? Probably not, the film was a 12 wasn't it?

MoominKoalaAndMiniMoom · 04/08/2014 15:12

I found the book very emotionally heavy, heartbreaking and it really stayed with me - it lingered on my mind for a long time afterwards. I'd read it yourself first and make the decision based on that, but be prepared for the emotional fallout.

ElephantsNeverForgive · 04/08/2014 16:00

The other problem is there is no such thing as a 12 film.

At the cinema under 12's simply need an adult to accompany them (or just look 12, DD2 was actually 11 when I sent her and her sister to the last twlight).

DCs have all seen the 12A Harry Potters and read the accompanying books before they are 10.

This has blured the line berween childrens fiction that might be desturbing on film and teen fiction that was disturbing on the page to start with.

Schools do not and never have helped - Lord of the Flies anyone?

Hulababy · 04/08/2014 16:12

DD read Fault in Our Stars this year - she is in Y7 and so would have been 12y or nearly 12y. It is very popular among her classmates. This and all the teen/early YA books: Hunger Games, Twilight, Mortal Instruments, Divergence, etc.

I do think there is quite a big difference between Y6 at primary school and Y7 in secondary school though. They seem to mature a great deal during that change over time and it does make a difference to what they want to read and what they can cope with reading, ime.

ElephantsNeverForgive · 04/08/2014 16:24

Yes, Y7s especially Y7s by about Christmas, are suddenly much more grown up.

Many senior school reding lists, would be much better as Christmas present suggestions than Y6/Y7 summer ones.

Takver · 04/08/2014 16:28

I'd second the comment that there is a massive difference between a 10 nearly 11 (so a young year 6) and a 12 year old at the end of yr 7 who could easily be about to be 13 in a couple of months time. DD has grown up massively over the last year, as have all her friends.

Original poster

IsItMe789 · 04/08/2014 17:48

That's probably it, my daughter was the second youngest in the class so will be doing alot of growing up in the next six months. We have agreed (I've told her) that I will read it and and if I think its suitable she can read it or wait a while. But as Elephantsneverforgive said, if she really wants to she can get her own copy from the school library in a few weeks. We eventually found a book from The Dork Diaries series which looks ok for now. She also wanted Twilight, which I said no too, even she said I just keep saying no to the books she wants.

I agree that schools don't help, but maybe that's the point. I remember reading Lord of the Flies in English and that really did grab my attention. Before I wasn't interested at all. I'm starting to think that shock tactics and grown up subjects are what are needed to keep kids interested/stimulated.

Thanks again for all the replies.

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