I had many requests for "hits" on this. Here's what LM_netters said:
==========================
I don't have Twilight in my collection since I only go to 4th grade, but one of
my 3rd grade girls is reading it right now. I think it would be too intense for
under 6th grade. It does have a little graphic violence near the end, but not
in great detail. – Kodak, Tennessee
We do not have it in our collection although I have had a few students requesting
it. I have no intent of getting it at this time.-- Grand Prairie, TX
We are a 4 - 6 grade school. I do not have it in my collection. Several students
are reading it and I have spoken to a few parents about the appropriateness. I am
not discouraging students from reading it, but think it best serves older students.
(It is probably no more inappropriate for 5th graders than some of the Lurlene
McDaniel "death and dying" series as we call them.) But it is much like a Lays
potato chip, You can't read just one. The first will lead to the others in the
series and some of them, I know, are too old for my kids. Like you I have referred
my kids to the public library, WalMart, or borrow from a friend. – Smiths Station,
AL
I just purchased Twilight and New Moon for my elementary library (K-6). I had been
holding out on the purchase but had acutallly loaned my personal copies to a couple
of students. My feeling about this is two-fold....the first two books in the
series are really pretty chaste - the more mature themes don't kick in until book
#3, and these kids (my 6th graders especially) would have access to them in their
school library if they lived in a different neighborhood (our city has a mix of
6-7-8 and 7-8 middle schools). One of my friends in the district does have a
separate YA/middle school section for her 5th and 6th graders (for check-out with
parent permission, etc.), but I don't. – Eagle River, AK
I do not have it in the collection and decided not to include it - only after
reading the entire series. I have no problem adding the first or second - or MAYBE
even the third. I would never consider adding the fourth, Breaking Dawn. I think
the contents of Breaking Dawn are way too mature for a 10 year-old. I really had a
hard time with the decision because I loved the series and knew several of my 5th
graders would as well. My fear was the flack I would receive for only adding part
of a series to a collection. There are bound to be parents on both sides of the
argument who could really make your life miserable. If a child really wants one of
the books, our district's union catalog could supply it. No child has requested
Twilight - or the other titles in the series. If a child does ask me to get it for
them, I would ask them to provide parental permission. – Livingston, NJ
I do NOT. Don't plan to. Twilight is not even a middle school level book, but Young
Adult. The author initially wrote it with the intention of publishing it for
adults. Like many books that are made into movies inappropriate for kids, I just
steer parents to a bookstore or public library if they want their 5th grader
reading young adult books. I would give the donated copy back. Good luck! – Short
Hills, NJ
My thoughts are...Are 5th graders really mature enough to handle a love story? A
true love story not just a "he's cute" story. I've read the books and think
8th-9th grade and higher. My daughter is a freshman and started them at the end of
8th grade and agrees. She's my "unofficial" reviewer. Ha I would say no to
letting 5th graders read it. – Wichita, KS
I didn't put it in my collection because I thought it was way too mature for 10
yr. olds. The interpersonal situations in the book are way beyond their
understanding. One of the questions my teenage grandaughter kept asking was,
"Are they going to 'do it' or not?" That's not an appropriate question for the
little guys to be pondering, but it's a driving theme of the book.
Just my two cents worth.... --Lawrenceville, VA
My library serves grades 3 - 5. I have had many fifth graders asking for the book
but I have decided not to add it to the collection. I have read the book and don't
think there is anything too inappropriate for fifth grade, but I know that they
will ask for the second one and so on and I have decided not to go there. This
makes the perfect opportunity to get them to go to the public library or put the
book on their Christmas list. --Cassville, MO
I don't have it in my k-5 LMC, although I am very much a Twilight fan (I have a
Twibrarian shirt!), and I've only had 1 child request to ILL the book. I told him
that I was happy to do that as long as he brought in a note from home saying it was
OK. The thing is, it is clearly YA even though there isn't any real sex, there are
scary parts (for elementary anyway) about the vampires that I just felt I needed to
steer clear of for my community. – Geneseo, NY
I bought a paperback book and read it. I was doing OK until the girl took cold
medicine to help her sleep (that is drug use..) and the boyfriend started staying
over even with no sex I didn't want to go there. The book is being passed around
the teachers but no school stamp! – New Boston, NH
I bought the first book for my 5th grade grandgirl And I think all the books are OK
but the last one Is definitely not. So I will be interested to see if any
elementary Schools offer it. I am K-4 – Waco, TX
I've been struggling with the same thing. I bought the first two finally. I had 3
kids who've read the whole series. I read the first one last summer out of
curiosity and didn't really see anything in it that would be objectionable.
Started the second one, and pooped out--got a little long. The first grade teacher
made it to the 4th one and she said Bella and Edward got married and enjoyed their
honeymoon in great detail. So I'm not sure I'd want that one on the shelves of an
elementary school. So I thought, I'll get the first two and then if the really
avid readers want to finish the series they can go to the public library or
purchase the book. I have lots of kids whose parents have bought them the books.
4th graders are wanting it too. I told them that might be a good one to read with
mom. Right now the fifth grade are keeping my two copies tied up. – ???
================
--
Ronda Y. Foust, Librarian
Hardin Valley Elementary School
Knoxville, TN
http://hveslibrary.wikispaces.com/
http://thebookdragon.blogspot.com/
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