GEN: Discussion point: "Depressing books?"

[Barb Svoboda <Svobodas@COMPUSERVE.COM>]

This is a topic that interests me as well.  I appreciate the suggestions
for more lighthearted books for that age group.  I think it's fair to say=

that the best books, at any age level, can be serious and deal with heavy=

issues without being demoralizing.  =


The idea that kids like the action better than the people in a story I
think is a sad conclusion.  When you look at the adult action movie genre=

(Rambo, Terminator, etc.), there is very little character development. =

Many adult psychological suspense novels spend little time on character
development as well.  Perhaps this is the "bubble gum" theory at work - n=
o
need to invest a lot of intellectual energy to get the adrenaline rush th=
at
the action provides.  My instinct, though, is that the novels and movies
that are considered the best, and have have the greatest personal impacts=
,
are those that take the time to develop characters more completely.

(My family is currently reading aloud "Pearls of Lutra" from the Redwall
series by Brian Jacques.  It's a little long to use as a read-aloud for
school situations, but it's a good instance where characters are well
developed (even if some characters are caricatures!), lots of action and
suspense occur, and horrible plot twists are offset by songs, laughter an=
d
comradery amongst the characters.  This is our first stab at the Redwall
books, and I'll be sure to buy more.)


Barb Svoboda
Library Media Specialist
Arrowhead High School
Hartland, WI

svobodas@compuserv.com

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=
    All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law.
To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST), send email to:
 listserv@listserv.syr.edu         In the message write EITHER:
 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST
 3) SET LM_NET MAIL  * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv
 For LM_NET Help & Archives see:  http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=