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KymHere

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Mar 9, 2002, 7:56:53 PM3/9/02
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Hello, I was wondering if anyone can tell me if these books would be
appropriate for a 12 year old to read? IOW, do they contain any sexual
situations? They are all pretty much classics, and I am ashamed to say that I
have never read any of them.

1. The Scarlet Letter
2. Great Expectations
3. The Last Mohican (sp?)
4. The Grapes of Wrath
5. The Catcher in the Rye
6. The Great Gatsby
7. Pride and Prejudice
8. Wuthering Heights

We came across these books on display at Walmart, in hardback, at only 4.88
each. Katy wanted to read a few of them but I wasn't sure if they were ok or
not.

Thanks!

Kim

Sandy L

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Mar 9, 2002, 8:45:33 PM3/9/02
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"KymHere" <kym...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020309195653...@mb-da.aol.com...

> Hello, I was wondering if anyone can tell me if these books would be
> appropriate for a 12 year old to read? IOW, do they contain any sexual
> situations? They are all pretty much classics, and I am ashamed to say
that I
> have never read any of them.
>
> 1. The Scarlet Letter
> 3. The Last of the Mohicans (sp?)

Are definitely ok. I'm not familiar with the others, unwashed barbarian
that I am.

<Snip>

Message has been deleted

Randall Bart

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Mar 9, 2002, 11:16:16 PM3/9/02
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'Twas 10 Mar 2002 00:56:53 GMT when all alt.support.tourette stood in awe as
kym...@aol.com (KymHere) uttered:

>1. The Scarlet Letter
>2. Great Expectations
>3. The Last Mohican (sp?)
>4. The Grapes of Wrath
>5. The Catcher in the Rye
>6. The Great Gatsby
>7. Pride and Prejudice
>8. Wuthering Heights
>
>We came across these books on display at Walmart, in hardback, at only 4.88
>each. Katy wanted to read a few of them but I wasn't sure if they were ok or
>not.

The only one I have read is Catcher in the Rye. She's probably too young
for it. At the time I was a little surprised that the high school was
encouraging us to read a book with so many dirty words and a little bit of
sex. But even ignoring that, I think it's kind of deep for a 12yo. At 16 I
really liked it, but many students in class didn't get it. My friend Tere
(who was pretty smart and read a lot) also found it dull when he was 16. He
read it again at 18, and was amazed that he hadn't liked it the first time
through.

Also it's depressing. It's about a depressed, confused 18yo. I wouldn't
recommend it for someone who is depressed.
--
RB |\ © Randall Bart
aa |/ ad...@RandallBart.spam.com Bart...@att.spam.net
nr |\ Please reply without spam 1-917-715-0831
dt ||\ Here I am: http://RandallBart.com/ I LOVE YOU
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l |\ DOT-HS-808-065 MSMSMSMSMSMSMS=6/28/107 Joel 3:9-10
l |/ Terrorism: http://www.markfiore.com/animation/adterror.html

Lara

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Mar 10, 2002, 12:11:01 AM3/10/02
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"Jennifer Rae Atkins" <jrat...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
> Great Expectations might be perfect--it is very long, though, and rather
> wordy, so this would depend on your daughter's taste.

I found 'Great Expectations' sooooooooooo boring. zzzzzzzzzzzzz
If I had to read anything more about young Pip, I'd throw it out the window.
Maybe that's just because I -had- to study it, I don't know.
Dickens was and always will be after that, B O R I N G to me LOL
I think I've read all of those books at one time in my life except 3 and
they were made into movies anyway. Oh, I did love whathisname in 'The last
of the Mohicans.' Ohhh, what's his name.

I certainly wouldn't worry about my 12 yr old's reading any of them if they
wanted to. At 12 I wouldn't have wanted to though.

'Moby Dick' is always a good one to pick up if it's cheap, Kim. In fact
any of those classics are. 'Treasure Island' too. Oh there's heaps of
them.

Just my tuppence worth,
and that ain't worth much.
Lara


Lara

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Mar 10, 2002, 12:19:22 AM3/10/02
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"Randall Bart" <Bart...@att.spam.net> wrote in message

Children see worse things on the news, in the paper and at school on 'Behind
the News'.
In fact they probably see worse than that every weekend on Video Hits. lol

The only thing I think is really important about some of the old classics is
that a good discussion is usually warranted after reading them. A
discussion regarding writing styles, period of time the book was set in and
the differences from that culture and time to where we are now. Things like
that. Certain old classics I obviously find sexist and politically
incorrect and I think those things are worth discussing also... lots and
lots of things to talk about.

Lara


Its the coffee talking

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Mar 10, 2002, 12:18:17 AM3/10/02
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>Subject: book questions
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I read six of these between the ages of 11 and 16. I enjoyed Cathcer in the
Rye, but don't remember exactly what age. WH was boring, (and I think scary
too), and I might not have finsihed it. The Scarlet Letter I had to read for
just about every Eng. Comp class from 8th grade until well into college.

My 10 year old attempted to read The Grapes of Wrath this year and was
disturbed by the sexual context, (he picked the book out of the library at
school without me knowing it, apparently he wanted to get out of doing six
seperate book reports, by reading one big book - it backfired on him!).

Has she read some of the *younger* classics like Call of the Wild, Treasuer
Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/Tom Swayer, Little Women, Tom
Swayer. Gulliver's Island, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland etc.?

I'd work on those first.

M

Randall Bart

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Mar 10, 2002, 1:45:41 AM3/10/02
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'Twas 10 Mar 2002 05:18:17 GMT when all alt.support.tourette stood in awe as
marie...@aol.com (Its the coffee talking) uttered:

>Has she read some of the *younger* classics like Call of the Wild, Treasuer
>Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/Tom Swayer, Little Women, Tom
>Swayer. Gulliver's Island, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland etc.?

Call of the Wild is a real turkey. Maybe dog lovers like it (though I can't
imagine why). Huck Finn is a good one, though you do have to explain to
your kids the way that Twain spelled the word "slave" (unless you get a
Bowdlerized edition). <pedant> "The Wizard of Oz" is the name of a movie;
the book was "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Likewise "Alice's Adventures in
Wonderland". </pedant> Both are pretty good, and written more for adults
than children. She's too old for stuff aimed at children.

Blondie

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Mar 10, 2002, 1:23:04 AM3/10/02
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KymHere wrote:

> 1. The Scarlet Letter
>

Might be a little boring for her...about an 'adulteress', nothing explicit
though. The main character (I forget her name) is a good person, but in a
'situation'.

> 2. Great Expectations

Great book!

> 3. The Last Mohican (sp?)

Never read it.....

> 4. The Grapes of Wrath
>

Depress.....sss...ing.....about a family in the Dirty Thirties. NOT upbeat,
that's for sure.

> 5. The Catcher in the Rye

They banned it from schools up here - I think there's a bit of hokey-pokey in it.

> 6. The Great Gatsby
>

Never read it, good movie though....

> 7. Pride and Prejudice

I like Jane Austen, but I don't think I would have at twelve....You could always
buy it and keep it for when Katy is older.

> 8. Wuthering Heights
>

Broken hearts, broken hearts. Good book, though. Maybe for when she's a bit
older.

>
> We came across these books on display at Walmart, in hardback, at only 4.88
> each. Katy wanted to read a few of them but I wasn't sure if they were ok or
> not.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Kim

She might enjoy...

Anthem. Ayn Rand
The Diary of Anne Frank (I remember reading it at about twelve)
Cheaper by the Dozen
Anne of Avonlea books (do you have them down there?) Lucy Maude Montgomery
Gone with the Wind, and the next one, Scarlett (Very romantic, of course)
I Remember Mama (there's a short series of them - nice reads) can't remember the
author though


My babysitter (15-year-old math type) has to do Lord of the Flies in English this
semester. He's very depressed.

Randall Bart

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Mar 10, 2002, 2:08:33 AM3/10/02
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'Twas Sun, 10 Mar 2002 01:23:04 -0500 when all alt.support.tourette stood in
awe as Blondie <Whir...@sympatico.ca> uttered:

>Anthem. Ayn Rand

We were bored silly by that one. It's one of those novels about a yucky
totalitarian future. Since we had already read several such stories, this
one offered very little. Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 are both a lot better. So
are a dozen other novels we can't remember the names of.

Lara

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Mar 10, 2002, 3:02:58 AM3/10/02
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"Randall Bart" <Bart...@att.spam.net> wrote in message
> 'Twas Sun, 10 Mar 2002 01:23:04 -0500 when all alt.support.tourette stood
in
> awe as Blondie <Whir...@sympatico.ca> uttered:
>
> >Anthem. Ayn Rand
>
> We were bored silly by that one. It's one of those novels about a yucky
> totalitarian future. Since we had already read several such stories, this
> one offered very little. Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 are both a lot better.
So
> are a dozen other novels we can't remember the names of.
> --
> RB |\ © Randall Bart

we?

Lara


Ellen

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Mar 10, 2002, 4:56:40 AM3/10/02
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Lara at kbu...@tpg.com.au wrote on 10.03.02 2:02 AM:

Randall and his evil twin Randy...

E
--
email to elune

Lara

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Mar 10, 2002, 6:12:30 AM3/10/02
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"Ellen" <_____@mac.com> wrote in message

Ahh. lol
Thought it might have been the Royal "we" as used by Queenbee.

Lara


LisaViger

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Mar 10, 2002, 7:17:02 AM3/10/02
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>Subject: book questions
>From: kym...@aol.com (KymHere)
>Date: 3/9/02 7:56 PM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <20020309195653...@mb-da.aol.com>

Kim,

I don't think any of the books you've listed would be upsetting or too
mature for a 12 year old. But, at least some of them might be real yawners.....
The first half of The Scarlet Letter is NH's description of the time period,
for example (IIRC). Oh, but, how tempting; hardcover classics for under $5! You
may want to buy them just in case (for Katy and yourself! :).
If you decide to look for other books as well, and good bargains, you can
go to Barnes & Noble online and search their children's bargain books.
If you go to bargain books, then to children's and then to classics, you
can find Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Anne
of Green Gables, Black Beauty, Heidi, Peter Pan, The Red Badge of Courage, The
Secret Garden (one of my favorites, even now :), A Little Princess, The Wind in
the Willows (OK, I reread this, too, every once in a while), and a few others
others, all in hardcover and all for $5.98 each.
Just a possible suggestion from a B&N bargain book addict :).

Happy Reading,
Lisa

Its the coffee talking

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Mar 10, 2002, 8:10:35 AM3/10/02
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>
>
>
>'Twas 10 Mar 2002 05:18:17 GMT when all alt.support.tourette stood in awe as
>marie...@aol.com (Its the coffee talking) uttered:
>
>>Has she read some of the *younger* classics like Call of the Wild, Treasuer
>>Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/Tom Swayer, Little Women, Tom
>>Swayer. Gulliver's Island, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland etc.?
>
>Call of the Wild is a real turkey. Maybe dog lovers like it (though I can't
>imagine why). Huck Finn is a good one, though you do have to explain to
>your kids the way that Twain spelled the word "slave" (unless you get a
>Bowdlerized edition). <pedant> "The Wizard of Oz" is the name of a movie;
>the book was "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Likewise "Alice's Adventures in
>Wonderland". </pedant> Both are pretty good, and written more for adults
>than children. She's too old for stuff aimed at children.
>--

Good literature stands on it's own, regardless if it's written for children or
otherwise. I'm always in one stage or another of re-reading A.A. Milne's "The
Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh", (and yes I added that for Randall's behalf,
otherwise I would have just said, "Winnie-the-Pooh"). It's debatable if it
were written for children or not... if you'd ask Christopher R. Milne, he'd be
adamant that his father's writings were self-serving, and had nothing to do
with him. Personally I don't care, it is a different story for a child than it
is for an adult.... there is so much I missed when I read the tales as a young
child... things that weren't intended for a child, but for an adult. I'd say
50-60% of my children's book collection is written for child and adult alike,
certainly 99% of them were written by adults anyway.

As far as Call of the Wild... yes it may be a "turkey" for some, but I don't
see how you can offer that as an opinion without it being comparative to the
classics on Kim's list... what good does an opinion of a "turkey" in relation
to books that you haven't read? (Kim's original list.) Perhaps you'd think a
number of those were "turkeys" too.

I stand by my suggestion of the Call of the Wild, (and White Fang too), in
addition to most of the other suggestion made on this thread... I agree with
Lisa on the suggestion of the Secret Garden, and Laura's suggestion of Moby
Dick.. ., and Madam L'Engle's series, (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A
Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters), which was my all time favorite series at
around the age 11 or 12. Also who ever suggested B&N or Borders... that is
where I find most of the classics that I pick up for my kids... they are
usually bundled in collections, and I have found them typically to be under
$5.00.

M

KymHere

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Mar 10, 2002, 11:04:57 AM3/10/02
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>From: "Sandy L"

>> 1. The Scarlet Letter
>> 3. The Last of the Mohicans (sp?)
>
>Are definitely ok. I'm not familiar with the others, unwashed barbarian
>that I am.

Thanks, Sandy. I really wish Katy and I had the same taste in books, I hate to
think that I will probably end up having to read some of these books. Now,
Carly and I share common reading interests. We just love the Harry Potter
Series, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Believing in Faeries, etc.


Take care,
Kim
*This email address does not accept any mail. If you would like to email me,
please let me know in a post to the group. I want to keep my regular email
address off newsgroups entirely. Thanks!

KymHere

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Mar 10, 2002, 11:06:34 AM3/10/02
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>From: Jennifer Rae Atkins

>I might start her with P&P and Wuthering Heights, and definitely encourage
>her to read all the others in coming years, for they will stay with her
>forever.

I think after reading more about some of these books, that I will probably buy
P&P for her, see how well she likes it, and if she finishes it, then let her
choose from the others.

Thanks for your reviews!

KymHere

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Mar 10, 2002, 11:08:06 AM3/10/02
to
>From: "Lara" kbu...@tpg.com.au

>I found 'Great Expectations' sooooooooooo boring. zzzzzzzzzzzzz

LOL, in the 8th grade, we were supposed to read this book but after about page
5, I just couldn't get interested so I took an F then spent 2 weeks doing extra
credit so I wouldn't fail the class.

Kim

KymHere

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Mar 10, 2002, 11:10:22 AM3/10/02
to
>From: Randall Bart

>Also it's depressing. It's about a depressed, confused 18yo.

When you say depressing, is that in a tear jerker sad kind of way? Katy's idea
of a great book is one that would either make a great Lifetime for Women movie
or the Classic movie station.

Kim

KymHere

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Mar 10, 2002, 11:14:29 AM3/10/02
to
>From: "Lara" kbu...@tpg.com.au

>Children see worse things on the news, in the paper and at school on 'Behind
>the News'.
>In fact they probably see worse than that every weekend on Video Hits. lol

>The only thing I think is really important about some of the old classics is
>that a good discussion is usually warranted after reading them.

Definitely a good idea. I don't mind her reading books that are geared more
towards an adult reader, but I don't want to hand her a book that talks about
sex in graphic detail...Wifey, Judy Blume, comes to mind as an example. She
brought this home from the library because she likes some Judy Blume books.
Luckily, I had already heard about the book years ago and was able to intercept
it before she got the chance to read it!

Kim

KymHere

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Mar 10, 2002, 11:18:01 AM3/10/02
to
>From: marie...@aol.com

>My 10 year old attempted to read The Grapes of Wrath this year and was
>disturbed by the sexual context

Oh, thanks so much for letting me know this.

>Has she read some of the *younger* classics like Call of the Wild, Treasuer
>Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/Tom Swayer, Little Women, Tom
>Swayer. Gulliver's Island, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland etc.?

She has read most of these, we both liked Little Women, she wasn't too excited
about the Tom Sawyer, Gulliver's Island, Treasure Island or Call of the Wild.
I have been looking for The Little Princess but have been having a hard time
finding it. Moby Dick hasn't been returned to our library in almost 4 months
so I might break down and buy it.

Kim

KymHere

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Mar 10, 2002, 11:21:21 AM3/10/02
to
>From: Randall Bart

>"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Likewise "Alice's Adventures in
>Wonderland"

These sound like something to check into also.

>She's too old for stuff aimed at children.

I find this to be true sometimes. But if there are children's classics she has
not read, I don't want her to miss out on them. We are also searching for a
book for children that has the words Dolphin and island in it, but she can't
remember the name of it. Or maybe it is the words Water and Island but about a
dolphin?

Kim

KymHere

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Mar 10, 2002, 11:24:14 AM3/10/02
to
>From: marie...@aol.com

>White Fang

Never heard of that one.

>Lisa on the suggestion of the Secret Garden

I like the sound of that one. Adding it to our list!

>Madam L'Engle's series, (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A
>Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters)

Completely forgot about these. Thanks for reminding me!

>Also who ever suggested B&N or Borders... that is
>where I find most of the classics that I pick up for my kids... they are
>usually bundled in collections, and I have found them typically to be under
>$5.00.

Wow, and I thought the 4.88 was a special deal of some sort. Going to B&N
today...thanks!

Kim

KymHere

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Mar 10, 2002, 11:27:50 AM3/10/02
to
>From: Blondie

>Anthem. Ayn Rand

Going to look for some reviews of this one, never heard of it.

>The Diary of Anne Frank

Read that, liked it.

>Anne of Avonlea books (do you have them down there?)

Never heard of them, looking for more info before going to B&N though.

>Gone with the Wind, and the next one, Scarlett (Very romantic, of course)

Katy would probably love these.

>I Remember Mama

Will look for more info on these also.

Thanks Blondie!

Kim

KymHere

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Mar 10, 2002, 11:30:52 AM3/10/02
to
>From: lisa...@aol.com

>Anne
>of Green Gables

>Black Beauty

>Heidi

>Peter Pan

>The Red Badge of Courage

She had read these and really liked some of them.

>A Little Princess

That is the one I am having a hard time finding.

>Just a possible suggestion from a B&N bargain book addict :).

I used to be a Border's addict when I lived in Indiana. No Borders here
though, and B&N is almost 30 miles away. Going there today though.

Kim

Sesgardner

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Mar 10, 2002, 1:19:13 PM3/10/02
to
Marietta wrote:

> and Madam L'Engle's series, (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A
>Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters), which was my all time favorite series
>at
>around the age 11 or 12

These are fun reading, and you'll like them, Kim, if you like Harry Potter,
etc. They do have a bit of a Christian slant, but not overwhelmingly.

Sara

Sesgardner

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Mar 10, 2002, 1:21:58 PM3/10/02
to
Kim wrote:

> We are also searching for a
>book for children that has the words Dolphin and island in it, but she can't
>remember the name of it. Or maybe it is the words Water and Island but about
>a
>dolphin?

Kim,

It's Island of the Blue Dolphins. Sorry I don't know the author.

Another series she might like are the "Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony
Snicket.

Sara (who is reading "Pilgrim's Progress" with her son right now - the
'children's' version.)

Message has been deleted

Its the coffee talking

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Mar 10, 2002, 2:37:38 PM3/10/02
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>
>
>
>Marietta wrote:
>
>> and Madam L'Engle's series, (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A
>>Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters), which was my all time favorite series
>>at
>>around the age 11 or 12


Sorry this is bugging me, though I know I didn't catch this in time for
re-quotes..

it is "Madeleine", not "Madame"

>
>These are fun reading, and you'll like them, Kim, if you like Harry Potter,
>etc. They do have a bit of a Christian slant, but not overwhelmingly.
>
>Sara
>

Sara, you mentioned the Lemony
Snicket series... Have you read any of them? They look interesting to me, and
I've read an interview of the author, (I think he was named as one of the 20
most interesting to watch authors recently)... but my son hates the book(s), (I
had ordered a few from his book club)... or the premise of the book... he
can't stand unnecessary meanness or anything with a macabre tone, (though
interestingly enough... if it were on a play station game... that would be a
different story!). I haven't read the story... I know that bad things happen
and at times nothing good does happen... (I'm thinking of the beginning of
James and the Giant Peach?... but even that story has a *happy* ending).

Anyway, would be interested in your thoughts or others who might have read any
of these.

Thanks,
M

Maryann

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Mar 10, 2002, 2:49:20 PM3/10/02
to

Island of The Blue Dolphins?

Randall Bart

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Mar 10, 2002, 3:29:25 PM3/10/02
to
'Twas 10 Mar 2002 16:18:01 GMT when all alt.support.tourette stood in awe as
kym...@aol.com (KymHere) uttered:

>>Has she read some of the *younger* classics like Call of the Wild, Treasuer
>>Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/Tom Swayer, Little Women, Tom
>>Swayer. Gulliver's Island, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland etc.?
>
>She has read most of these, we both liked Little Women, she wasn't too excited
>about the Tom Sawyer, Gulliver's Island,

I believe you and Marietta mean "Gulliver's Travels". The name "Gulliver's
Island" looks like a conflation of "Gulliver's Travels" and "Gilligan's
Island" (classics both).

'Twas 10 Mar 2002 16:21:21 GMT when all alt.support.tourette stood in awe as
kym...@aol.com (KymHere) uttered:

>>She's too old for stuff aimed at children.
>
>I find this to be true sometimes. But if there are children's classics she has
>not read, I don't want her to miss out on them.

Let me clarify. There are many "children's classics" that are written on
two (or more) different levels. Specifically, "Gulliver's Travels" and "The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz" are political satire. I don't know the story behind
Gulliver, but Oz is poking fun at William Jennings Bryan. There are about
40 Oz sequels, but most (all?) of those are just children's books, without
the depth of the original.

>We are also searching for a
>book for children that has the words Dolphin and island in it, but she can't
>remember the name of it. Or maybe it is the words Water and Island but about a
>dolphin?

"Island of the Blue Dolphin" by Scott O'Dell.

'Twas 10 Mar 2002 13:10:35 GMT when all alt.support.tourette stood in awe as


marie...@aol.com (Its the coffee talking) uttered:

>Personally I don't care, it is a different story for a child than it


>is for an adult.... there is so much I missed when I read the tales as a young
>child... things that weren't intended for a child, but for an adult.

You should care, because those stories that children enjoy while missing
parts intended for adults are the best.

>As far as Call of the Wild... yes it may be a "turkey" for some, but I don't
>see how you can offer that as an opinion without it being comparative to the
>classics on Kim's list...

Because I read it and it was a turkey.

>what good does an opinion of a "turkey" in relation
>to books that you haven't read? (Kim's original list.)

I have very little to say about books I haven't read.

>I stand by my suggestion of the Call of the Wild, (and White Fang too)

I never read "White Fang", because I had already read "Call of the Wild",
and wasn't about to read anything more by Jack London.

>Madam L'Engle's series, (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A
>Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters)

"A Wrinkle in Time" was good when I read it; it certainly deserved whatever
award it got. I fear it may not have aged well. It might be rather trite
to anyone familiar with more recent science fiction. I'm not familiar with
L'Engle's other works.

Let me throw in a few of my favorites:

"Twilight Journey" by L.P.Davies.
"The Taming of the Shrew" by Shakespeare

Hmmm. There must more books that I liked, but I can't recall the titles.
--

Randall Bart

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 3:29:22 PM3/10/02
to
'Twas 10 Mar 2002 16:10:22 GMT when all alt.support.tourette stood in awe as
kym...@aol.com (KymHere) uttered:

>>From: Randall Bart


>
>>Also it's depressing. It's about a depressed, confused 18yo.
>
>When you say depressing, is that in a tear jerker sad kind of way?

No. There are many sad, tear jerker stories that I wouldn't call
depressing. Catcher in the Rye isn't sad; it's depressing. I don't know a
good way to explain the difference.

Randall Bart

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 3:29:24 PM3/10/02
to
'Twas Sun, 10 Mar 2002 21:12:30 +1000 when all alt.support.tourette stood in
awe as "Lara" <kbu...@tpg.com.au> uttered:

>"Ellen" <_____@mac.com> wrote in message
>> Lara at kbu...@tpg.com.au wrote on 10.03.02 2:02 AM:
>> > "Randall Bart" <Bart...@att.spam.net> wrote in message
>> >> 'Twas Sun, 10 Mar 2002 01:23:04 -0500 when all alt.support.tourette
>stood
>> > in
>> >> awe as Blondie <Whir...@sympatico.ca> uttered:
>> >>
>> >>> Anthem. Ayn Rand
>> >>
>> >> We were bored silly by that one.

>> > we?

>> Randall and his evil twin Randy...

>Ahh. lol


>Thought it might have been the Royal "we" as used by Queenbee.

Hmmm. Did anyone get the gag? (Not my evil twin, and definitely not
royal.)

Its the coffee talking

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 4:10:15 PM3/10/02
to
>From: Randall Bart Bart...@att.spam.net

>I believe you and Marietta mean "Gulliver's Travels".

Yeah, that one was bugging me too!


>>Personally I don't care, it is a different story for a child than it
>>is for an adult.... there is so much I missed when I read the tales as a
>young
>>child... things that weren't intended for a child, but for an adult.
>
>You should care, because those stories that children enjoy while missing
>parts intended for adults are the best.
>

Completely agreed, that's why I collect children's books... "The Little Prince"
comes to mind - what I meant was I didn't care if A.A. Milne's WTP was written
for children and/or for Christopher Milne or not... I like it no matter who the
intended audience was.


>>Madam

[Madeline - Blurt you're not alone!]

L'Engle's series, (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A
>>Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters)
>
>"A Wrinkle in Time" was good when I read it; it certainly deserved whatever
>award it got. I fear it may not have aged well.

It is rated in the top 10 all time childrens' books, and has been in that spot
for a few years now. So it's held up better than most of the books that came
out of the 60's. It may be in that spot because of schools picking it up and
adding it to their course work, (it was too new of a book when I was in
elementary school for it to be part of the curriculumn), and I believe the top
10 list was voted on by teachers and librarians.

M

Lara

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 4:15:33 PM3/10/02
to

"Randall Bart" <Bart...@att.spam.net> wrote in message
> 'Twas Sun, 10 Mar 2002 21:12:30 +1000 when all alt.support.tourette stood
in
> awe as "Lara" <kbu...@tpg.com.au> uttered:
>
> >"Ellen" <_____@mac.com> wrote in message
> >> Lara at kbu...@tpg.com.au wrote on 10.03.02 2:02 AM:
> >> > "Randall Bart" <Bart...@att.spam.net> wrote in message
> >> >> 'Twas Sun, 10 Mar 2002 01:23:04 -0500 when all alt.support.tourette
> >stood
> >> > in
> >> >> awe as Blondie <Whir...@sympatico.ca> uttered:
> >> >>
> >> >>> Anthem. Ayn Rand
> >> >>
> >> >> We were bored silly by that one.
>
> >> > we?
>
> >> Randall and his evil twin Randy...
>
> >Ahh. lol
> >Thought it might have been the Royal "we" as used by Queenbee.
>
> Hmmm. Did anyone get the gag? (Not my evil twin, and definitely not
> royal.)
> --
> RB |\ © Randall Bart

Oh, a gag! Sorry I missed it first time around. lol

I take that it was the collective unconscious speaking through your post???

Lara


Kartreit

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 4:24:22 PM3/10/02
to
>I don't mind her reading books that are geared more
>towards an adult reader
>Kim
>
>

I'd recommend 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' and then go out and rent the video. The
movie is very close to the book, and that's not always true with a lot of
films. This is still my all-time favorite.
Mary

KymHere

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 4:24:32 PM3/10/02
to
>From: Randall Bart

>I believe you and Marietta mean "Gulliver's Travels".

Yes, you are correct, that is what I meant.

>"Island of the Blue Dolphin" by Scott O'Dell.

That is it! Thank you so much! I read that book to her when she was in 2nd
grade and she loved it then. She really wants to read it herself.

Kim

Lara

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 7:02:40 PM3/10/02
to

"Grrr" <grr...@AMpost.com> wrote in message >
> Lara wrote > >

> >Children see worse things on the news, in the paper and at school on
'Behind
> >the News'.
> >In fact they probably see worse than that every weekend on Video Hits.
lol
>
> don't ever watch the news. particularly current affairs stuff.
> (think the media perpetuates way too many propagandist issues.
> though i do read the paper often, so i'm not totally ignorant about
> how national issues are being hand-fed to folks)

Well, you already probably know my opinion of television. That's why I
lived without it in my cave for the past 4 years lol.
I'm a paper reader also. Depends on the paper though. Some are better
than others here, but of course you know that.

My son has no interest in news or current events. He lives in the moment.
My daughter's the one with her finger on the pulse around here. Overly
interested in current events. She's actually pretty amazing about it all.
She's very mature for a girl her age.

> though i love that video hits !. music is just food for the soul.
> tell your kid, Lara, i'm watching that with him..

Okay. I watch it too LOL Music is something I'll watch and listen to on tv
anytime.

Lara


Randall Bart

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 8:47:57 PM3/10/02
to
'Twas Mon, 11 Mar 2002 07:15:33 +1000 when all alt.support.tourette stood in

awe as "Lara" <kbu...@tpg.com.au> uttered:

>> >> > we?

>> Hmmm. Did anyone get the gag?

>Oh, a gag! Sorry I missed it first time around. lol


>
>I take that it was the collective unconscious speaking through your post???

<sigh> No. I guess Blondie will have to explain it.

Lara

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 9:02:26 PM3/10/02
to

"Randall Bart" <Bart...@att.spam.net> wrote in message
> >
> >I take that it was the collective unconscious speaking through your
post???
>
> <sigh> No. I guess Blondie will have to explain it.
> --
> RB |\ © Randall Bart

LOL A sigh? Blondie? Why can't you explain it? You said it.
I've never really understood gags or jokes, sorry.
They're not spontanious enough for me usually.
That's just the way I am. :o)

Lara


Message has been deleted

Its the coffee talking

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 9:10:50 PM3/10/02
to
>Subject: Re: book questions

>From: "Lara" kbu...@tpg.com.au

Lara,
I'm going to try this again....


This is taken from amazon.com site review of "Anthem"...

Its the coffee talking

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 9:16:26 PM3/10/02
to
>Subject: Re: book questions

>From: "Lara" kbu...@tpg.com.au


Ah heck, I'll go for trying this 3 times...

This is off of Amazon.com's site, review of Anthem....

"Anthem" describes a world of the future, a society in which the word "I" has
disappeared from the language. The society revolves around the collective word
"we".

End

I haven't read this one, but it did remind me of another good book for Kim's
daughter, and I think she's a good age for Orwell's Animal Farm.

Not to mention Chris Van Allsberg's Jumanji and The Widow's Broom, (which is
one of those excellent children's book written with a much deeper meaning), I
found a review for the later book that nicely summed up why the book is so
wonderful, illustrations aside....

Under the Guise of Evil, April 23, 1998
Reviewer: ****
Chris Van Allsburg's brilliant picture book is not just for wee tots. I would
reccomend using this charming tale in a junior high school classroom to stir
thoughts in the minds of students of how something that is called "wicked" is
not necessarily so -- perhaps it's just a thing that is grievously
misunderstood. Great to introduce a longer piece of literature based on the
same general topic that things aren't always what they seem, or perhaps to
teach about prejudice.
End

This is one of my favorite books in my collection regarding how society sets
"good" and "evil"... and tolerance/prejudice.

M

Ellen Price

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 9:33:04 PM3/10/02
to
Grrr wrote:

> On Sun, 10 Mar 2002 10:49:44 -0800, Jennifer Rae Atkins
> <jrat...@mindspring.com> wrote:
>
> Anne of Green Gables was
> >another good suggestion from someone--I bet she'd really like those books,
> >from what you've described.
>
> not being into any of that girly 'an ideal husband'(turned it off
> after about 1 1/2 minutes) kinda stuff myself, just from what other
> people have said about it, i would second what Jen just said.

Blondie here. Anne of Green Gables is based on the adventures of a girl
adopted into a Prince Edward Island family (small island province in Eastern
Canada). The books are much better than the TV shows or the cartoon. Kym's
daughter might like Barbara Pym novels too. I think Kady is a very mature
twelve-year-old from the sounds of things - an 'absorber' of information.
Ellis Peters (Brother Cadfael) are good too. I wonder if she's too young for
Iris Murdoch. I've read all her books. Fantastic. I found out the other day
that Michael Crichton is almost seven feet tall.


Its the coffee talking

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 9:45:56 PM3/10/02
to
>Subject: Re: book questions

>From: Ellen Price Whir...@sympatico.ca

> I wonder if she's too young for
>Iris Murdoch. I've read all her books. Fantastic. I found out the other
>day

Have you seen the movie"Iris" yet? It's on my list as soon as it is on video
around here.

M

Ellen Price

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 9:51:59 PM3/10/02
to
It's been a long time since I read "Anthem", and I always get it mixed up with
the Rush song inspired by the book, where a group of kids are rooting around in
a cave or something and find - you guessed it - an electric guitar. In the
book, Anthem, (and in all Ayn Rand's books) the rights of the individual (to
freedom of thought and a$$ociation, and the freedom to pro$per without losing
too much sleep over places like the Sudan) are paramount. "We" is an eeeevil
word. Something like a camel being an animal designed by a committee. Anyhow,
I didn't find the book boring. I came from a very strict religious (Free
Methodist) family, and that book was a real eye-opener. I read the rest of her
books over the years, and I really think she is such an excellent writer, and an
expert in philosophy. She is so under-referenced. I was a bit turned off,
though, when I read the memoirs of Barbara Branden (Nathaniel Branden, the
psychologist's, former wife) and found that Ayn and Nathaniel had been shrugging
atlasses together, and playing fountainhead and stuff.. Anyhow, Anthem, I
think, is a good (and short) book for teenagers. For the thinking kid.

Sandy L

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 9:56:19 PM3/10/02
to
"KymHere" <kym...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020310110457...@mb-cc.aol.com...
> >From: "Sandy L"
>
> >> 1. The Scarlet Letter
> >> 3. The Last of the Mohicans (sp?)
> >
> >Are definitely ok. I'm not familiar with the others, unwashed barbarian
> >that I am.
>
> Thanks, Sandy. I really wish Katy and I had the same taste in books, I
hate to
> think that I will probably end up having to read some of these books.
Now,
> Carly and I share common reading interests. We just love the Harry Potter
> Series, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Believing in Faeries, etc.
>

Another way of looking at that: mom was a teacher and my wife is a
librarian. They both hold that kids should read whatever they are
interested in. If "adult" topics are involved, that may provide an
opportunity for some low-pressure discussion of aspects of sexuality that
otherwise get ignored. Specifically, schools often do a fairly good job of
teaching anatomy and physiology but cover the risks of unplanned pregnancy
very superficially and barely touch the question of the emotional tangles
that can result from entry into intercourse. I don't know how well these
things can be discussed by different parents -- probably it is quite
variable -- but even an effort that feels awkward may be a whole lot better
than no discussion at all.
Just my observation.
Sandy L

>
> Take care,
> Kim
> *This email address does not accept any mail. If you would like to email
me,
> please let me know in a post to the group. I want to keep my regular
email
> address off newsgroups entirely. Thanks!


Blondie

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 9:54:38 PM3/10/02
to
Ellen Price wrote:

Oops, just reinstalled Sympatico, and forgot to change names. Back to Blondie.


Blondie

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 9:57:04 PM3/10/02
to

No I haven't. I find it hard to sit through movies, but I'll definitely rent it
when it goes to video. Her husband was a real gem, apparently, and looked after
her devotedly.


Sandy L

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 10:05:42 PM3/10/02
to
"KymHere" <kym...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020309195653...@mb-da.aol.com...
> Hello, I was wondering if anyone can tell me if these books would be
> appropriate for a 12 year old to read? IOW, do they contain any sexual
> situations? They are all pretty much classics, and I am ashamed to say
that I
> have never read any of them.
>
> 1. The Scarlet Letter
> 2. Great Expectations
> 3. The Last Mohican (sp?)
> 4. The Grapes of Wrath
> 5. The Catcher in the Rye
> 6. The Great Gatsby
> 7. Pride and Prejudice
> 8. Wuthering Heights
>
> We came across these books on display at Walmart, in hardback, at only
4.88
> each. Katy wanted to read a few of them but I wasn't sure if they were ok
or
> not.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Kim

I remember liking both Poe (prose and poetry) and Kipling (prose and poetry)
at about that age. They've both been dead long enough that the copyrights
have expired and they should be available cheap.
Earlier, I lived within easy waliking distance of the public library and
used to roam around in the fiction section until I found something I liked.
Nice if there is one handy.


KymHere

unread,
Mar 10, 2002, 10:37:16 PM3/10/02
to
Got home from Barnes & Noble not too long ago and this is what we ended up
with.

1. Tales of the Greek Heroes
2. A Little Princess (Yeah! Finally found it)
3. The Scarlet Letter (She insisted)
4. Island of the Blue Dolphin
5. Anthem
6. Bunnicula (A bunny that is a vampire?)
7. The Child in Time
8. Nicholas Nickleby

Thanks for all the suggestions. Barnes and Noble is a great store! Most of
these books were less than 3.00 in paperback.

Kim

Blurt Durtwurd

unread,
Mar 11, 2002, 12:37:30 AM3/11/02
to
Sandy L rote:

>Another way of looking at that: mom was a teacher and my wife is a
>librarian. They both hold that kids should read whatever they are
>interested in. If "adult" topics are involved, that may provide an
>opportunity for some low-pressure discussion of aspects of sexuality that
>otherwise get ignored. Specifically, schools often do a fairly good job of
>teaching anatomy and physiology but cover the risks of unplanned pregnancy
>very superficially and barely touch the question of the emotional tangles
>that can result from entry into intercourse. I don't know how well these
>things can be discussed by different parents -- probably it is quite
>variable -- but even an effort that feels awkward may be a whole lot better
>than no discussion at all.
>Just my observation.
>Sandy L

Yes!

Blurt (fiction-reading disabled, which does not disqualify him from
putting in his two cents on this subject, even if that two cents is
borrowed in the form of a 'me too, or 'I agree' type of post).

Benita Winslow

unread,
Mar 11, 2002, 12:52:27 AM3/11/02
to

"Grrr" <grr...@AMpost.com> wrote in message
news:rfqn8uokn4vb5s30g...@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 10 Mar 2002 06:45:41 GMT, Randall Bart <Bart...@att.spam.net>
> wrote:
>
> >'Twas 10 Mar 2002 05:18:17 GMT when all alt.support.tourette stood in awe
as

> >marie...@aol.com (Its the coffee talking) uttered:
> >
> >>Has she read some of the *younger* classics like Call of the Wild,
Treasuer
> >>Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/Tom Swayer, Little Women,
Tom
> >>Swayer. Gulliver's Island, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland etc.?
> >
> >Call of the Wild is a real turkey. Maybe dog lovers like it (though I
can't
> >imagine why). Huck Finn is a good one, though you do have to explain to
> >your kids the way that Twain spelled the word "slave" (unless you get a
> >Bowdlerized edition). <pedant> "The Wizard of Oz" is the name of a
movie;
> >the book was "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". Likewise "Alice's Adventures
in
> >Wonderland". </pedant> Both are pretty good, and written more for
adults
> >than children. She's too old for stuff aimed at children.
>
> probly cos Lewis carroll was a brilliant mathematician whose works
> reflected his mathematical ideas. he was a married man, who also
> clearly had sexual fantasies about a little blonde girl whose family
> lived nearby. He would spend quite a lot of time in her company. but
> it's impossible to speak of his exact involvement. only thing that
> comes up, is that her parents got very annoyed with him, were highly
> suspicious of his involvement with her, and refused to let her go see
> him any further.
>
> interestingly, one of the biggest pedophile networks ever, just
> recently intercepted by federal authorities, was calling itself the
> "W0NDERLAND" club. With many references to young "Alice's"
>
> you'll find some more recent books published about the life of Carroll
> that go into more detail about all this.
>
> incidentally, i managed to pick up a (the) "best of Lewis Carroll" for
> $5 at some clearance market recently.

Lewis Carroll (real name somebody-or-another Dodgson?) was also an early
photography enthusiast. A friend had a volume of "Victorian Children"
photographs. A great many of these were by Carroll/Dodgson, and were very
ethereal 'soft porn' kinda stuff. Yikes. Alice is still one of my favorite
traveling companions, anyhow.

You know, I wrote a whole long review of the books Kim originally asked
about and it is NOT HERE. It must be lost in cyberspace.

Hugs,
Benita


Benita Winslow

unread,
Mar 11, 2002, 12:54:08 AM3/11/02
to

"KymHere" <kym...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020310111801...@mb-cc.aol.com...
> >From: marie...@aol.com
>
> >My 10 year old attempted to read The Grapes of Wrath this year and was
> >disturbed by the sexual context
>
> Oh, thanks so much for letting me know this.

>
> >Has she read some of the *younger* classics like Call of the Wild,
Treasuer
> >Island, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn/Tom Swayer, Little Women, Tom
> >Swayer. Gulliver's Island, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland etc.?
>
> She has read most of these, we both liked Little Women, she wasn't too
excited
> about the Tom Sawyer, Gulliver's Island, Treasure Island or Call of the
Wild.
> I have been looking for The Little Princess but have been having a hard
time
> finding it. Moby Dick hasn't been returned to our library in almost 4
months
> so I might break down and buy it.
>
> Kim

There is a volume of "Moby Dick" that has the allusions as footnotes. This
is the one I enjoyed reading the most. "Moby Dick" is my favorite book, and
I have read it several times...

Hugs,
Benita


Benita Winslow

unread,
Mar 11, 2002, 12:59:44 AM3/11/02
to

"Blondie" <Whir...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3C8AFBC8...@sympatico.ca...
> KymHere wrote:
>
> > 1. The Scarlet Letter
> >
>
> Might be a little boring for her...about an 'adulteress', nothing explicit
> though. The main character (I forget her name) is a good person, but in a
> 'situation'.
>
> > 2. Great Expectations
>
> Great book!

>
> > 3. The Last Mohican (sp?)
>
> Never read it.....

>
> > 4. The Grapes of Wrath
> >
>
> Depress.....sss...ing.....about a family in the Dirty Thirties. NOT
upbeat,
> that's for sure.

>
> > 5. The Catcher in the Rye
>
> They banned it from schools up here - I think there's a bit of hokey-pokey
in it.
>
> > 6. The Great Gatsby
> >
>
> Never read it, good movie though....
>
> > 7. Pride and Prejudice
>
> I like Jane Austen, but I don't think I would have at twelve....You could
always
> buy it and keep it for when Katy is older.
>
> > 8. Wuthering Heights
> >
>
> Broken hearts, broken hearts. Good book, though. Maybe for when she's a
bit
> older.

>
> >
> > We came across these books on display at Walmart, in hardback, at only
4.88
> > each. Katy wanted to read a few of them but I wasn't sure if they were
ok or
> > not.
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Kim
>
> She might enjoy...
>
> Anthem. Ayn Rand
> The Diary of Anne Frank (I remember reading it at about twelve)
> Cheaper by the Dozen
> Anne of Avonlea books (do you have them down there?) Lucy Maude
Montgomery
> Gone with the Wind, and the next one, Scarlett (Very romantic, of course)
> I Remember Mama (there's a short series of them - nice reads) can't
remember the
> author though
>
>
> My babysitter (15-year-old math type) has to do Lord of the Flies in
English this
> semester. He's very depressed.

Ai, yi yi! Lord of the Flies! I was depressed when I inflicted this upon
*myself* in college!

Poor babysitter.

Hugs,
Benita
>


Benita Winslow

unread,
Mar 11, 2002, 1:00:56 AM3/11/02
to

"Randall Bart" <Bart...@att.spam.net> wrote in message
news:931m8u8lq8s282nl7...@4ax.com...
> 'Twas Sun, 10 Mar 2002 01:23:04 -0500 when all alt.support.tourette stood
in

> awe as Blondie <Whir...@sympatico.ca> uttered:
>
> >Anthem. Ayn Rand
>
> We were bored silly by that one. It's one of those novels about a yucky
> totalitarian future. Since we had already read several such stories, this
> one offered very little. Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 are both a lot better.
So
> are a dozen other novels we can't remember the names of.

Is our Randall suddenly Royal? What is this we in reference to he?

Hugs,
Benita

Lara

unread,
Mar 11, 2002, 1:11:59 AM3/11/02
to

"Its the coffee talking" <marie...@aol.com> wrote in message

> Ah heck, I'll go for trying this 3 times...
>
> This is off of Amazon.com's site, review of Anthem....
>
> "Anthem" describes a world of the future, a society in which the word "I"
has
> disappeared from the language. The society revolves around the collective
word
> "we".
>
> End

Ah, thanks Marietta. I've got "We the Living", "The Fountainhead" and
"Atlas Shrugged" here, but not read "Anthem" ever. I figured it was about
a "collective". I don't think my wild guess was so far off after all
despite Randall's sigh.

Lara


Benita Winslow

unread,
Mar 11, 2002, 1:09:30 AM3/11/02
to

"KymHere" <kym...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020310223716...@mb-fy.aol.com...

Nicholas Nickleby!! Your daughter is a youngster of fine discernment.

Hugs,
Benita


Benita Winslow

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Mar 11, 2002, 1:23:24 AM3/11/02
to

"Sandy L" <hlm...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:a6h6io$gfr$1...@slb6.atl.mindspring.net...

Hey, Sandy!

Great observation. A caveat is that some parents (my mom springs immediately
to mind) allow kids to read *anything* they want as an alternative to
discussing sexual matters with them.

Discussion must be kept in the mix. It is an essential ingredient for a
liberal arts education!

Hugs,
Benita

KymHere

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Mar 11, 2002, 1:57:28 AM3/11/02
to
>From: "Benita Winslow"

>Your daughter is a youngster of fine discernment.

Thanks Benita :-)

Kim

KymHere

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Mar 11, 2002, 1:59:16 AM3/11/02
to
>From: "Benita Winslow

>There is a volume of "Moby Dick" that has the allusions as footnotes. This
>is the one I enjoyed reading the most. "Moby Dick" is my favorite book, and
>I have read it several times...

*sigh* I couldn't talk her into getting Moby Dick. I have never read it and
would like to so I think when Carly gets ready to buy her books next weekend, I
will suggest it to her.

Kim

Blondie

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Mar 11, 2002, 2:37:10 AM3/11/02
to
Benita Winslow wrote:

>
> Ai, yi yi! Lord of the Flies! I was depressed when I inflicted this upon
> *myself* in college!
>
> Poor babysitter.
>
> Hugs,
> Benita
> >

Isn't that kind of a heavy dose of social behaviourism for a teenager? It seems
to have been a standard at this school for eons. I went to the same school, and
I took it. Gees, adolescents have enough to be depressed about. They should
let them read comic books, or scripts from MAD TV or something. On the other
hand, this same babysitter did a term project on "The History of the
Skateboard".

My father used to absolutely LOVE Dickens. Every Christmas, we would have to
watch The Christmas Carol, and he would just lose it. This used to disturb me a
lot. I can only watch comedies.

Blondie

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Mar 11, 2002, 2:39:15 AM3/11/02
to
KymHere wrote:

Well, Kim, let's forget The Old Man and the Sea, then. Heehee.


Rebecca Garcia

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Mar 11, 2002, 6:51:21 PM3/11/02
to

"Sandy L" <hlm...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:a6h74p$vek$1...@slb6.atl.mindspring.net...

I was terrified of the dark until I was 21 yo, yet even in grade school I
enjoyed reading the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Listened to The Pit and
the Pendulum just yesterday narrated on cassette while driving, and I love
The Cask of Amontillado. I seem to get more out of these short stories each
time I read and/or hear them, too.

Maybe your local library has some classics on cassette that your daughter
could listen to before you buy the book.

Just a thought.

LisaViger

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Mar 11, 2002, 8:38:42 PM3/11/02
to
Randall,

We read the book, and we got the joke. We thought it was very funny.

We

Blondie

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Mar 11, 2002, 11:10:05 PM3/11/02
to
Grrr wrote:

> Ellen Price
>
> so is that your real name, dude?
> --
> i don't fear drugs although i may seem just a bit scary to them.
>
> Life member of the church of hard knocks and free thinkers.
> Become a member today!
>
> gr...@post.com

The Ellen part is up-to-date.
Dudette.


Blondie

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Mar 11, 2002, 11:13:00 PM3/11/02
to
Grrr wrote:

> On Sun, 10 Mar 2002 21:54:38 -0500, Blondie <Whir...@sympatico.ca>
> wrote:


>
> >Ellen Price wrote:
>
> >Oops, just reinstalled Sympatico, and forgot to change names. Back to Blondie.
>

> which is the evil one?

Both, heehee.


Randall Bart

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Mar 13, 2002, 12:23:41 AM3/13/02
to
'Twas Mon, 11 Mar 2002 02:39:15 -0500 when all alt.support.tourette stood in

awe as Blondie <Whir...@sympatico.ca> uttered:

>Well, Kim, let's forget The Old Man and the Sea, then. Heehee.

Now that's a story I read in high school that I enjoyed. It grew on me,
because I understood it more on reflection than while I read it.

I think an entertaining exercise would be to read "The Old Man and the Sea",
"Moby Dick", and "The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth"
consecutively (not necessarily in that order). They're three different
passes at the same concept: Obsessive man chasing a big fish. All three
are easy to dismiss, but they have depth.

Did I already tell this story? When I watch JEOPARDY! I often blurt out
questions (answers) before seeing the answers (questions), based just on the
category. The Final JEOPARDY! category was "Ernest Hemmingway". I blurted
out "The Old Man and the Sea". Five minutes later the answer (question) was
revealed: "The title of this Hemmingway story is six three letter words."

I was stumped.
--
RB |\ Š Randall Bart, felt pretty stupid that time

Leslie DeLong

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Mar 13, 2002, 11:12:51 AM3/13/02
to
In article <931m8u8lq8s282nl7...@4ax.com>,
ad...@RandallBart.spam.com wrote:

> 'Twas Sun, 10 Mar 2002 01:23:04 -0500 when all alt.support.tourette stood in


> awe as Blondie <Whir...@sympatico.ca> uttered:
>

> >Anthem. Ayn Rand
>
> We were bored silly by that one. It's one of those novels about a yucky
> totalitarian future. Since we had already read several such stories, this
> one offered very little. Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 are both a lot better. So
> are a dozen other novels we can't remember the names of.

I concur!

lesliedelong

Leslie DeLong

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Mar 13, 2002, 11:12:00 AM3/13/02
to
In article <3C8AFBC8...@sympatico.ca>, Whir...@sympatico.ca wrote:
> Cheaper by the Dozen

Very Funny, I still love it and my 8 year old loved it, to. Also very
funny is the sequel "Belles on their toes".


lesliedelong

Leslie DeLong

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Mar 13, 2002, 11:19:26 AM3/13/02
to
In article <20020310081035...@mb-fg.aol.com>,
marie...@aol.com (Its the coffee talking) wrote:
> I stand by my suggestion of the Call of the Wild, (and White Fang too)

I loved those, too, but in trying to read them out loud to Alex (8 yrs) I
found the sentence structure rather complicated. Not good read aloud
books, but definitely worth a try.

Secret Garden

liked this one

Moby Dick - never could get into this one, although I love many books
from this period.

Madam L'Engle's series, (A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A
> Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters) I liked those, but not as much as
the Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis. Both have a lot of covert
and over Christianity. There is also the Lord of the Rings (Love it).

lesliedelong

Leslie DeLong

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Mar 13, 2002, 11:31:42 AM3/13/02
to
In article <20020310110634...@mb-cc.aol.com>, kym...@aol.com
(KymHere) wrote:


> I think after reading more about some of these books, that I will probably buy
> P&P for her, see how well she likes it, and if she finishes it, then let her
> choose from the others.


Jane Austen has several good books, although P&P is definitely the best of
the set - that's why it's the classic.

I've found Wuthering Heights incredibly dark and depressing every time
I've read it. Of the Bronte sisters, I prefer Charlotte Bronte myself -
she doesn't drag me down to the same extent. Jane Eyre is the "classic"
although I like some of her other stories even better.

My current favorite way to chose children's books is to go for Newberry
Award winners. I found that several of my childhood favorites are on that
list (Miracles on Maple Hill - another one I still like to read) and I've
found many new favorites since reading them to Alex. I've also found some
great authors I wouldn't have thought to try otherwise. Although they
aren't written for the over 12's many of them are great reads at any age.

I don't know if this is old hat, but I got a lot more pleasure out of my
reading when I finally allowed myself to not finish a book if I wasn't
enjoying it. I thought quitting a book was a mark of failure - what a
stupid attitude. There are so many books I forced my way through when I
was in my early teens that I LOVED when I was old enough to really get
into them. (Another reason why I like the library so much.)

lesliedelong

Leslie DeLong

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Mar 13, 2002, 10:39:55 PM3/13/02
to
In article <20020310111801...@mb-cc.aol.com>, kym...@aol.com
(KymHere) wrote:

> we both liked Little Women,

have you tried the rest of the series - "little men" and "jo's boys"?

lesliedelong

Leslie DeLong

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Mar 13, 2002, 10:40:57 PM3/13/02
to
In article <20020310112121...@mb-cc.aol.com>, kym...@aol.com
(KymHere) wrote:

We are also searching for a
> book for children that has the words Dolphin and island in it, but she can't
> remember the name of it. Or maybe it is the words Water and Island but
about a
> dolphin?


Island of the blue dolphin(s)?

lesliedelong

Leslie DeLong

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Mar 13, 2002, 10:54:52 PM3/13/02
to

> Well, Kim, let's forget The Old Man and the Sea, then. Heehee.

Now there is a Hemingway worth reading. (The only one, in my opinion. -
I'm not big on 20 century authors - at least not of that portion of the
20th.)

lesliedelong

Leslie DeLong

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Mar 13, 2002, 10:53:25 PM3/13/02
to

>
> My father used to absolutely LOVE Dickens. Every Christmas, we would have to
> watch The Christmas Carol, and he would just lose it. This used to
disturb me a
> lot. I can only watch comedies.

I'm with your dad. I love the Christmas Carol and re-read it every
christmas. there was a wonderful TV version made with George C.Scott as
scrooge that is very true to the book, which I have on tape. My other
Christmas favorites are:
A Child's Christmas in Wales
The gift of the magi
The littlest Angel
Nine days until Christmas

lesliedelong
who wishes she had time to read - sigh

KymHere

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Mar 13, 2002, 10:53:29 PM3/13/02
to
>From: Leslie...@alum.mit.edu

>(KymHere) wrote:
>
>> we both liked Little Women,
>

>have you tried the rest of the series - "little men" and "jo's boys"?

I didn't realize they were all part of a series. When we were at B&N looking
for books, Katy saw "Little Men" and giggled. She thought that was just so
cute for a title of a book. I will have to let her know that there is a
series....Thanks for that info.

Kim

Leslie DeLong

unread,
Mar 13, 2002, 10:58:03 PM3/13/02
to
Reading this long paen to favorite books brought to mind another favorite:

The phantom tollbooth.

lesliedelong

Benita Winslow

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Mar 14, 2002, 6:05:10 PM3/14/02
to

"Leslie DeLong" <Leslie...@alum.mit.edu> wrote in message
news:LeslieDeLong-1...@net243-83.med.yale.edu...

Benita Winslow

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Mar 14, 2002, 7:22:37 PM3/14/02
to

"Leslie DeLong" <Leslie...@alum.mit.edu> wrote in message
news:LeslieDeLong-1...@net243-83.med.yale.edu...

Other Voices, Other Rooms
by Truman Capote

About his wonderful relationship with his challenged Auntie, and the
fruitcake adventures..

Dickens!!! I once locked myself in my apartment and read Dickens for a
couple of weeks. When people finally came and pried me out, I was lost. I
felt like a time traveller, and was searching for Gas Lights... I love
Dickens.

Hugs,
Benita, who is returning from the never-never-land of 'cannot connect to the
server'...

Leslie DeLong

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Mar 14, 2002, 9:44:21 PM3/14/02
to
In article <20020313225329...@mb-ce.aol.com>, kym...@aol.com
(KymHere) wrote:

After Jo and Dr. Baer get married, they start a school for boys (mostly) -
the "little men" of the title. By the next book -"Jo's boys" - the kids
are in their late teens and the school has become a college.

Have you ever read "My family and other animals" by Gerald Durrell - I
find it endlessly amusing, and the natural history is fascinating.

This thread is really making me want to dive into books again. I've given
up most of my "free" time to deal with Alex and Peter - their behavior has
improved, but I'm feeling book starved.

lesliedelong

Leslie DeLong

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Mar 14, 2002, 9:48:28 PM3/14/02
to
In article <h9bk8.3826$d65.75...@newssvr16.news.prodigy.com>, "Benita
Winslow" <Ben...@prodigy.net> wrote:

> Dickens!!! I once locked myself in my apartment and read Dickens for a
> couple of weeks. When people finally came and pried me out, I was lost. I
> felt like a time traveller, and was searching for Gas Lights... I love
> Dickens.


I remember reading "Shogun" intensively during a very long cross country
bus ride. When I got off the bus, I fully expected people to be speaking
Japanese.

I can't read Dickens when i feel under time pressure. I find him
wonderful when I have all the time in the world and can just wallow in his
descriptions.

lesliedelong

Randall Bart

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Mar 14, 2002, 10:17:03 PM3/14/02
to
'Twas Wed, 13 Mar 2002 22:58:03 -0500 when all alt.support.tourette stood in
awe as Leslie...@alum.mit.edu (Leslie DeLong) uttered:

>Reading this long paen to favorite books brought to mind another favorite:
>
>The phantom tollbooth.

Very good movie. I never read the book.
--
RB |\ © Randall Bart

Benita Winslow

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Mar 14, 2002, 10:50:58 PM3/14/02
to

"Leslie DeLong" <Leslie...@alum.mit.edu> wrote in message
news:LeslieDeLong-1...@net243-98.med.yale.edu...

jennybravo

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Mar 15, 2002, 5:50:14 AM3/15/02
to


"Leslie DeLong" <Leslie...@alum.mit.edu> wrote in message

news:LeslieDeLong-1...@net243-83.med.yale.edu...

I love the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas"...

--
¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- jennybravo
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´

Its the coffee talking

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Mar 16, 2002, 9:27:33 PM3/16/02
to
>Subject: Re: book questions

>From: Randall Bart Bart...@att.spam.net

>
>'Twas 10 Mar 2002 13:10:35 GMT when all alt.support.tourette stood in awe as
>marie...@aol.com (Its the coffee talking) uttered:
>

>
>>As far as Call of the Wild... yes it may be a "turkey" for some, but I don't
>>see how you can offer that as an opinion without it being comparative to the
>>classics on Kim's list...
>
>Because I read it and it was a turkey.
>
>>what good does an opinion of a "turkey" in relation
>>to books that you haven't read? (Kim's original list.)
>
>I have very little to say about books I haven't read.

My point was... Kim asked for a critique of the list of books she suggested,
not the ones I did.

M

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