Kathy answers “Would you read this out loud to a...”

Levi Pierpont asked this question about News of the World:

Would you read this out loud to a seven-year-old? Ten-year-old? Thirteen-year-old?

Kathy I'm a mother of 5 children. I would say in general I recommend this book for 12 and up to be read out loud, one on one, with an adult who is willing t…moreI'm a mother of 5 children. I would say in general I recommend this book for 12 and up to be read out loud, one on one, with an adult who is willing to answer questions. You should consider the maturity, history, and emotional health of your intended child audience carefully. I would not recommend this book to children who have had violent trauma in their lives or have been separated from parents, or whose parents were killed. There is some violence, including a gun battle and a mention of scalping. There was no profanity that I remember. Nothing too gruesome, but the description of the how the parents and sister were killed is not pleasant.

Absolutely not a book for a 7 year old. A child that age won't grasp the intent of the story and most 7 year olds would be frightened by the premise of losing their parents. Could possibly be read to a very mature 10 year old by an adult.

I would not read this book to a class younger than high school, for the simple reason that you won't know the history of everyone in the class and the trauma it might unearth... similar to having a child who had a near drowning study the results of the Titanic disaster. Could cause nightmares if read to the wrong child. (less)

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News of the World

by Paulette Jiles

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