Importance of age graduated fiction.

[Tsujigiri]

I am curious as to how people rate the importance of age graduated fiction, in the development of a child into an adult.
Not just in reading practice but also such things as the development and refinement of philosophical & theological perceptions and social awareness and integration.

I read prolifically as a child and young adult, far more then than I currently have the time or inclination to pursue now, yet whilst I enjoyed books such as 'The Weirdstone of Brisingamen' at the age it was directed at, I had also by that time read such writers as Dante, Nietzsche & etc and delved fairly deeply into obscure religious and occult material.

My point being that I didn't read fiction or non-fiction in any particular order based on age, did anyone else, what did you read, what made a profound mark on you?

 

[Alia]

I am curious as to how people rate the importance of age graduated fiction, in the development of a child into an adult.

I would have to say that this isn't an age requirement, but moreso the maturity level of the reader. I have found that most young people would rather read books that are more challenging, Adult type books with complex situations and story line. Which is fine, and for anyone who would aspire to achieve such a level of reading and understanding should be let to do so. Often times, adult books have issues, situations and intrigues that are not suitable for the younger audience and may turn them off on reading all together. I have found that Young Adult Fiction to be a nice transition with more complex story lines than the children's Fiction but not as challenging as the Adult Fiction. And it still sparks the imagination and encourages a person to read. I feel, and this is in my humble opinion, it would depend up parent and reader to determine which level of book to persue. If a child is gifted and wants to read more... than let them. If teen fiction is too easy, let them venture into harder stuff. Again, it's the maturity, I believe moreso than the age that should be taken into consideration.

My point being that I didn't read fiction or non-fiction in any particular order based on age, did anyone else, what did you read, what made a profound mark on you?

I found that while in my youth I spent more time out side and not reading... very sad, I missed out on a lot of good reads...
But as an adult I actually enjoy the children's and Young Adult Books best... I think when my kids grow up and mature into something other than that level I will too...

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I think with any reader at any age, there are times when they want to be challenged, and times where they just want to relax and enjoy what they're reading. Not that being challenged can't be enjoyable, too, but not every minute of every day. It's the difference between picking up a book with the intention of stretching your horizons, and reading to wind down after a difficult day at work or school.

And sometimes it's not so much a matter of adult fiction being inappropriate for kids, as it is of juvenile and YA fiction specifically addressing more of the particular concerns of those age groups. There are issues they really do need to think about and digest and come to terms with sooner or later, which adult fiction sometimes skips over and takes for granted. I think that a bright pre-teen with a good vocabulary and an interest in more challenging subject matter is best served by a mixed diet when it comes to fiction.

To carry the metaphor to its utmost extreme: adult books for garnish, YA books to provide those specific nutrients that build strong bones and bodies, and occasionally something just very easy and fun (or an old favorite) for dessert.

 

[Tsujigiri]

To carry the metaphor to its utmost extreme: adult books for garnish, YA books to provide those specific nutrients that build strong bones and bodies, and occasionally something just very easy and fun (or an old favorite) for dessert.

That is more or less how I see it Kelpie, not the path I followed personally but I was a bit of a child prodigy and was enroled to university at 12.
I intend to try and help my kids have more of a balanced reading 'diet' because there are some concepts that really disturbed me as a child and young teen which looking back I would rather have avoided.

I think that the risk with intelligent children is often to make the mistake that advanced intellect goes hand in hand with emotional development, when in fact it is often the reverse.

 

[Alia]

On that note, Tsu... Teen and Children books actually are written with ideas and transitions that the younger person will be concerned about, are involved with, and can relate to. They are great way of introducing the love of reading with out bogging them down and distrubing them, as happened with you.

Just because a child can read an adult book doesn't mean that they should or are mature for it either. hhhmmmm... just thoughts though!

 

[Amber]

The thing is. Reading is not dictated to by maturity actually, merely by how good a reader you were at that age.

When I was 5 I was reading and enjoying many complex works of fiction including some very heavy classical literature, which a number of people didn't like me reading. I was very fast at reading, and I had a large vocabulary, which has helped me immeasurably in school

By the time I was seven fantasy hit me like a brick, and I started to read stuff like Asimov's Foundation. Judging by the standards of most adults what I was reading was not appropiate at all- it explored themes certainly not suitable for someone of my age, and extreme unworldliness. But I read on, though I confess to not understanding some parts

The point to this is, what you read is not linked to maturity, but to how good a reader you were, and what access you had to books when little- I happened to read by age 4, and I had a house full of books- so thats what I read.

 

[Alia]

When I was 5 I was reading and enjoying many complex works of fiction including some very heavy classical literature, which a number of people didn't like me reading. I was very fast at reading, and I had a large vocabulary, which has helped me immeasurably in school

Classical literature in today standards is considered Young Adult Fiction, and has been since 1960. Any literature dated 1960 back is suitable for any Young Adult.

The point to this is, what you read is not linked to maturity, but to how good a reader you were, and what access you had to books when little- I happened to read by age 4, and I had a house full of books- so thats what I read.

Tend to disagree... I realize that you are a intelligent person Amber, and I respect your opinion, but some information in Adult books is designed for Adults and not small children or even Young Adults. As you maybe more maturer than most, you are a rare case and in general most Adult books are not suitable for the the younger crowd...

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I think everyone is right. In general, what a child reads usually is determined by how well they read and what books are available to him/her, not by their maturity level. The question is whether that is the way it should be, and whether or not the child is better off in the long run if someone takes an interest and makes sure they don't spend all their reading time with books beyond their level of maturity and understanding. (Understanding the book and understanding the words are two different things.)

As a parent, I didn't tell my kids what they could or couldn't read, but I did make sure there were plenty of quality children's books around for them to pick up on their own, as well as having access to the hundreds of books their father and I kept around the house. And one thing I did do until they were in their late teens was read for myself anything that they were reading that I wasn't familiar with, so we could talk about any of the things that came up which they might find troubling, or that I might feel they needed help putting into perspective.