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According to a recent Newsweek article, books geared for 9-12 year-olds are getting more dark and scary. Why can’t we just let kids be kids and give them at least some measure of hope for a bright, (not Atomic Blast bright), future?
I hope we don’t see the same trend move into books for even younger kids.
What’s wrong with the fantastical worlds that Dr. Seuss created? If he were alive today, would he update his titles to include “There’s a Nuclear Wocket in my Pocket?”
Do writers feel that the great beasts from “Where the Wild Things Are” have lost their impact on young readers?
Will “Clifford the Big Red Dog” be replaced with “Clifford the Big Red Hound from Hell?”
What about Curious George? Will we see him running the show in a post-apocolyptic version where simians rule Earth and he saves the man in the yellow hat from brutality at the hands of aggressive Gorillas?
It seems that the latest trend for books targeted at the 9 year-old and up reader is focusing on a not-so-bright future where people must live underground or teens struggle to survive by fighting to the death for food.
I haven’t read any of these books, and I see it’s been said that they are not TOO scary and tend to end on a high note, but can’t the same messages be presented in a less ominous shadow?
Check out the link below to a story I read on Newsweek.com
As for me, I’ll stick to the classics with my grandkids..
The Complete Adventures of Curious George
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