At what age are they not children books?

[LauraW]

I personally use a slightly different classification system for my reading. I call children's books, like those in your second paragraph, middle grade books. The slightly older stuff, say for around 5th through 7th grades, I call tween books, like Harry Potter 1 and even 2 and 3. Older than that, and I call it YA. I can't read a lot of the YA any more, because it is a bit too much for me (I am 68). I don't like many of the themes.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

Anybody can make that decision. For example, different libraries might shelve the books differently. I know my library had a complete set of Harry Potter on the Juvenile shelves, and another complete set on the YA shelves.

If you were my son, I'd read the books that you're reading and talk about anything that might scare or disturb you, or be ready to answer your questions, or tell you if someone in the book is doing something I don't want you to do. But still I'd let you read what you want to read.

Btw, your teacher is right, Harry Potter books are not Christian. They are make-believe. Magic, witches, and wizards are imaginary.

Your mom is right. You are a teen, but you are not yet a Young Adult. Some YA books are fine, some are too ugly for me (and I'm probably old enough to be a mother to your mom!). I hope she talks things over with you, and you both listen to each other.

[Beverly, former Miscellaneous Club host]

Deciding whether a book is for children or for teens is a somewhat subjective chore. In the library system where I work, children's books are for infants through about age 12 or 13. Then young adult books are for kids about age 13 through about age 17. In our system, since the first few Harry Potter books were classified as children's books, the collection development staff decided to classify all of them as children's books, even though the last 3 or 4 or the series started to get darker and for older kids. All of this to say: it depends.

[Anne]

It's important to make the distinction that just because a book is not explicitly Christian does not make it un-Christian. Harry Potter books are profoundly moral and definitely compatible with a Christian view of caring for the oppressed, standing up against evil, valuing moral courage, and much more.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

oh, bravo, well said Anne!

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Anne wrote: "It's important to make the distinction that just because a book is not explicitly Christian does not make it un-Christian. Harry Potter books are profoundly moral and definitely compatible with a C..."

Exactly, Anne, Harry Potter is the classic fight of good against evil, and while there are no specifically Christian faith allusions (to Jesus Christ and the like), the novels do have very many elements that are biblical, that are what the basis of most Christian denominations are.

[Erica]

I agree with everything that is being said. I personally feel that young adult books need to be considered on a book by book basis. I loved the Alex Rider series and feel like it is a good transition between children's and YA. But some YA books include graphic scenes and complex topics. My mom helped me at that age. If I was interested in a new series, she would read it first and let me know if the topics were appropriate for someone my age. Keep reading!

[Jann]

I agree, books don't have to be specifically Christian to teach our kids good morals. As parents we should now what are children are reading and encourage them to read topo.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Erica wrote: "I agree with everything that is being said. I personally feel that young adult books need to be considered on a book by book basis. I loved the Alex Rider series and feel like it is a good transiti..."

Not just on a book by book, but also on a person by person basis, as everyone is different and what one young reader might easily handle, another might not be able to at the same age.

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

So many great responses already! It seems like modern YA books have to push the boundaries, delve in

[Erica]

Manybooks wrote: "Erica wrote: "I agree with everything that is being said. I personally feel that young adult books need to be considered on a book by book basis. I loved the Alex Rider series and feel like it is a..."

Very good point!

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

So many YA books today delve into darker themes, more mature subject matter, etc. than was around when I was a youngster. (But so can middle grade books, or even children's books.) I believe there are websites out there that review books for young people and will call out if there are any incidents that some might find troubling such as violence, profanity or "adult situations." Kind of like how movies have a rating system. If you or your mom are looking for books that are in keeping with Christian values you can probably find websites with reviews from a Christian perspective. You might also look to historical fiction novels as an opportunity to read about teenagers in exciting situations but something different than the dystopian angle in many of the popular YA today. Happy reading!

[Kathryn, The Princess of Picture-Books]

I also think a lot of the book classification has to do with the age of the protagonist. Most middle grade books have protagonists about 12-14, YA books are the 14-18 range, children's books around 8-10. Again this is not always the case but I think the protagonists tend to mirror the readers in terms of age. As you so astutely pointed out with the Harry Potter books and how the books mature as Harry does.

[QNPoohBear]

Young Adult books typically feature characters ages 14-17. The themes are usually personal growth, self-discovery, love, loss, life, death, and possibly issues that affect teens today like drugs and violence. That doesn't make them bad or immoral, just perhaps more mature than what an individual reader is prepared to read or mature enough to handle. The Harry Potter books are a great example. J.K Rowling never intended them to be children's books-she just wrote a story. The first three are fine for children 10+ but the rest get darker as they go along and I wouldn't recommend them for readers under 13 or 14. I usually tell kids to age with Harry.

Another good example are the books of Tamora Pierce. Her first books about Alanna Alanna: The First Adventure and most of the other Tortall books are young adult. The Protector of the Small series starts out younger. Her first books set in Emelen, the Circle Books Briar's Book are middle grades comparable to the first three Harry Potter books. The other books about Emelen that follow the characters as they become young adults are intended for more mature readers. I would not recommend them to a 13 year old.

[Elspeth]

Glad you are enjoying Enid she is one of my favourites.

As a point on the christian / not christian books some "not christian because they are make believe" books were actually written with a deliberately hidden christian message; the Narnia series is an example of this (and it is full of witches and goblins) as is "Leaf by Niggle" a Tolken short story which even if you're not christian is a good read but Tolken had actually written a "who is the better christian" story and said so in an interview, most people don't spot it because he is so well know for The Hobbit.

When you get older and I mean OLDER like 17+ if you want to try horror but avoid the mass of anti christian tomes out there Dean Koontz did a nice run of sci-fi / horror that prove you can have god and science or why man shouldn't try to play god. He did write a load of not so christian ones too so if you would like I can pm you the pro christian titles.

Hope you find plenty of books you and your mum can agree on. and for your information at 13 my publisher wouldn't class you as a Young Adult they start YA at 15 but again that varies from publisher to publisher.