Sunday, March 24, 2013

How To Choose Science Fiction Books For Teens

By Jill Faulkner


It makes any parent proud to have a teenager that spends endless hours lost in a book. Even so, smart parents know that science fiction books for teens must be vetted somewhat to establish that the material is appropriate. Some of the stories that are out there sort of ride the line, and others are just outright wildly unacceptable for anyone under the age of eighteen.

One perfect example are some of the vampire stories which have become quite popular over the years. There are some which are okay for ages fourteen to sixteen, but others that no one would want their child to read under the age of eighteen. Some of these stories delve quite deeply into erotic descriptions of coupling between vampires and humans.

Another issue that parents must consider is how much violence is acceptable for particular ages. This genre does have a degree of violence in the stories, no matter how young the target audience is. Studies have revealed that violence from a book is processed differently in the mind than violence on a television or movie screen, and it can actually kick start parts of the brain that deal with empathy.

There are series of stories which have come out in recent years which are geared towards young people. This does help parents get through the very murky water of what is or is not appropriate for their kids. Often such a book series can be found at their middle or elementary school libraries.

School libraries are another way that parents can know what their children are getting is going to be age appropriate. The school librarians generally know what the best material is for children of specific age groups, and the libraries are geared towards that. Public libraries and book stores are where parents have to be most vigilant about what their kids are getting a hold of.

An issue that some families run into is that what is regarded as acceptable in one family is not necessarily okay in another. Nowhere is this more obvious than in very strictly religious households where even somewhat benign material is regarded as inappropriate. These parents run into a lot of problems because the second something is against the rules, their kids just want it more.

It is in human nature to get our hands on the most forbidden materials, and many Christian parents run up against this issue. One thing many parents do to actually get their kids to read something specific is to put it on a top shelf and claim it is taboo material. Sure enough they will see their kids sneaking exactly those books off the shelf, as they had secretly intended.

The smartest parents who really are concerned about what science fiction books for teens contain will simply take the time to read it themselves. It makes parents look really foolish when they create a big issue over content of a book that they have not actually read themselves. Besides, when parents and children both read a story, it becomes something they can talk about and share.




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