I confess ambivalence to the kind of books my daughter sometimes selects. She’s nine and a voracious reader. She isn’t afraid to tackle “serious” books, but she sometimes turns to the literary equivalent of junk food. In particular, there is a popular series for kids about clans of feral cats who go to war with one another. It is written under a pseudonym by a group of writers. Shakespeare they ain’t. Nonetheless, kids (including mine) cherish these books. But kids also cherish cotton candy and grape-flavored Kool-Aid and Justin Bieber. This is when I must remind myself of the countless hours I devoted to devouring Louis L’Amour novels during my teenage years. I still found time for Orwell, Steinbeck, and Dostoyevsky, but mostly because they were assigned by teachers. In my free time, it was back to Lonely on the Mountain, Mojave Crossing and the rest of the tales of the Sackett clan. Maybe I need to let the kid find her own literary way. Maybe she'll even find the stack of Louis L'Amour novels on the bookshelf in the basement that I continue to hoard.
RCM
Hey Clark. Fun blog you have going here, but assuming you are referring to the Warriors series, I'm afraid my daughter has taken exception to this post. I quote, "First, the cats are not always in a full-scale war. There are sometimes skirmishes over prey and territory, they're not always at war. Second, I do not think they are the literary equivalent of junk food. I personally think the books are good because have a unique approach to animal stories. I also like them because the cats have this elaborate system of ranks and that's not something you would expect from cats. Sometimes I wonder what our cats do when they go outside and these books give glimpse into the what a cat's perspective on the world might be." There you have it. Cheers, Brad.
ReplyDeleteException acknowledged! You are correct that I was referring to the Warriors series, and Sydney has also chastised me for my harsh appraisal. I will reevaluate. Thanks for the feedback.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we'd love any suggestions for books the Ellis kids enjoy. One of the reasons we decided to start this blog was to help identify good books for kids who love books.
ReplyDeleteI'll be sure to ask. I know our older two (13 and 10) have enjoyed the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. Pretty much anything that has a sense of adventure is a draw to them. We're currently, albeit very slowly, making our way through the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I read to them on the rare occasions when we're all stationary in the same place at the same time. There are some real tongue-twisters in that book when you have to say the words out loud!
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