Noughts & Crosses - suitable age?

[Elinor Everywhere]

My 11yo daughter is using Galore Park's English (book 2), and there is an excerpt from the book Noughts & Crosses. She wants to get it from the library, but is it suitable for her age? In my opinion, her reading skills have always been ahead of her maturity.

For what it's worth, her English book also had an excerpt from Lord of the Flies, and recommended the book to be read, but I don't think she is ready to get out of that book all that is in there. I'd prefer she be several years older before tackling it, and so it made me wonder about N&C.

[Elinor Everywhere]

:huh:

[Laura Corin]

I gave that one to Calvin and he handed it back to me after a few chapters. It's quite bleak and harsh as a depiction of relations between races. He hasn't read Lord of the Flies yet either.

I've been steering him more towards the classics that also come up in the English Prep books: he's read three Dickens novels in the last year and has enjoyed them more and more. He was very moved by David Copperfield, but Great Expectations has now become his favourite. Rebecca was also a surprise hit - I think of it as romantic, but it's actually pure thriller from about half way through.

I do think that schools, even those that use Galore Park, look for books that will engage pupils who aren't avid readers. Often they try to do this by introducing 'issues' that they feel will attract non-readers. For those of us who have children who love to read, and who are not keen to hurry them into adulthood, delay is just fine.

How are things?

Laura

[Elinor Everywhere]

I gave that one to Calvin and he handed it back to me after a few chapters. It's quite bleak and harsh as a depiction of relations between races. He hasn't read Lord of the Flies yet either.

How are things?

Laura

I'm glad to hear you say that, because just from reading the excerpt I didn't think it was a book Tessa was ready for. I explained it to her, and told her what Calvin thought, and she's fine with letting it wait a few years (or never reading it at all, which is what will probably happen).

We are well over here; Wade is in Hong Kong right now, so we're all jealous. The manager of the Pacific Club (that club we belonged to that jutted out on a pier from Harbour City) always leaves him a temporary card so Wade can go there to eat & hang out while he's in town. He had a business dinner there last night and really enjoyed seeing everybody again.

Meanwhile, we're scaling things back (economy, and all) and have no plans to travel for a bit. We're limiting ourselves to weekends on the boat and the kids and I will spend most of the summer living on it like we did last year. Some good news for me: my sister is moving to Phx in June, which I'm quite happy about. With my parents here that leaves only my brother, but he's in Seattle so at least we're all on the west side of the Continental Divide. :)

I think of you often and wonder how things are going. I haven't been on the WTM boards for quite a while, but I see you finally got your name change. Tell your dh we say hi, and Tessa says hi to Calvin, too. Still hoping we can come over in 2010, but we'll see how the job situation is by then. Keep in touch!

[Laura Corin]

Meanwhile, we're scaling things back (economy, and all) and have no plans to travel for a bit.

We are taking a break at a cottage on the west coast of Scotland in May, but otherwise will be holidaying at home. To be honest, that's what we feel like doing anyway. We love our new home and there's lots to do nearby.

The invitation remains open.....

Laura

[Lorna]

Our daughter concurs with Calvin about Noughts and Crosses. She read the whole trilogy based on the Galore Park recommendation at age twelve. She said they were good but made her sad. She says they are probably more suited to about age fifteen or older.

[Elinor Everywhere]

Our daughter concurs with Calvin about Noughts and Crosses. She read the whole trilogy based on the Galore Park recommendation at age twelve. She said they were good but made her sad. She says they are probably more suited to about age fifteen or older.

Thanks, Lorna. I did tell my dd that she may want to read them in her mid-teens, but for now we'll stick with literature more suitable to an 11yo. There's so much out there we can't get it all in anyway... :)

[Elinor Everywhere]

The invitation remains open.....

Laura

Thanks...we still plan on coming; we're hoping to do 10 days in the UK (maybe driving from Scotland down through England and seeing the sights along the way, ending in London for a few days), and then crossing the channel for another 10 days or so in France, spending a few days in Paris and then renting an apartment either in Burgundy or Provence. We'll see how it all works out. Thanks again for the offer, and hope to see you in 2010.