The setting for my mishap: a middle school book fair. This word nerd should have been at her best, encouraging kids away from the erasers shaped like toilets and toward the shelves of freshly printed books.
But no.
My son wanted to buy the last book from the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. It had just come out and carried the recently published hard cover price. I redirected him to the sale table.
“Look at this one,” I said, holding up The Maze Runner. The back copy promised a good dystopian adventure: erased memories, a maze with shifting walls, and a struggle for survival.
Note: I had my iPhone in my pocket, with the Goodreads and Common Sense Media apps loaded and ready to give me more information about the book. But did I consult either one? No.
Weeks later, after my son had burned through the whole series, he said in the car on the way to school, “The Maze Runner is good, but it’s pretty violent. I don’t think Rosie should read it for a while.”
Me: “Pretty violent? What does that mean?”
Son: “There are these monsters made of blubber, but they have sharp things like knives sticking out of them, and if one of the kids gets infected by a cut from the monsters, he turns into a cannibal.”
Me: “Ew.”
Son: “And as the book goes on, you find out that it’s a company sending kids into the maze, conducting experiments to see if the kids can survive.”
Fantastic. I worry about The Hunger Games because kids kill kids. With this book,
adults kill the kids. Which is worse?
Son: “If you want the full experience, you should really read the book.”
Me (shaking head): “Cannibalism and monsters? No thanks. Why do you like this series?”
“The main character, Thomas, is really smart and he’s trying to help everyone get out. He even gets himself hurt so that he can learn more.”
A smart, selfless protagonist. Well, at least that’s good.
I dropped off my child and consulted Common Sense Media. The review said that the scenes of violence in The Maze Runner were worse than any in The Hunger Games. But it also pointed out that Thomas is a good role model, and that teens would like the book because they could enjoy the extreme action from a safe distance. It labelled the series “mature.”
Since this incident, I’ve made it clear to my son that he should not constantly read violent books; I worry that too much exposure might desensitize him. But I’m glad he talked to me about The Maze Runner, and I want him to keep doing that. Our world is, unfortunately, a violent place, and Dashner’s book prompted a meaningful discussion.
He read The Hunger Games next, and we discussed both books over a game of ping-pong. (Note: boys are most likely to talk while you are doing something else, i.e. tossing a football, taking a hike, or passing a soccer ball.)
Next time, I will remember to consult Common Sense Media so I will know what he’s reading and can pose good questions. Perhaps even read it first!
Have you ever had a book take you by surprise? How do you feel about violence in books? Where do you research books?
