Are these books appropriate for a 14 year old girl?

Question

I can't find a website or anything that tells me what the content of books are. I can get reviews but I need to know what the content is so that I can decide whether or not to let my daughter read them. Here's what she has brought home

The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe
Kitty goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn
Dead Man Rising by Lilith Saintcrow
Working for the Devil Lilith Saintcrow ( I'm sure this one is probably bad)

I don't want to read too much of them because I want them to stay in new condition so I can return them.
The woman in the store actually recommended them to her. My first clue that they may be bad was when I read the inside cover of The Dark One by Ronda Thompson. It was pretty bad. I don't know why anyone would recommend this crap to a 14 year old! Any help will be appreciated.

I live in a midsized town in Oklahoma. Our library doesn't have very many of the kind of books that my daughter likes to read.

Her reading and comprehension abilities are beyond what most 14 year olds are. She is interested in stories about wolves and vampires. Also shapshifting and things like that. She loved The Sight and Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies.

She actually has no interest in reading about sex. She chose these because they were about things she is interested in such as werewolves and shape shifters.

When I told her these books were romance novels and most likely had alot of sex in them and she said "Gross, I don't want to read that"

Answer 1

I don't know about those books you've listed. But I do have suggestions that would be better for that age group. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is about vampires. It has romance. But it never goes beyond a kiss or two. New Moon is the sequel to Twilight. It features vampires and werewolves. Again, nothing graphic or inappropriate. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld would be another suggestion for vampires. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz is another great vampire book. The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause is another good book, again vampires. And Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause is about vampires. All of them would be appropriate for her to read. She might also enjoy the Cirque du freak series by Darren Shan. Also, Valley of the Wolves by Laura Gallego Garcia. The mediator series by Meg Cabot might also be a good choice.

There are hundred of books that would be appropriate for this age group that are not so adult in nature (aka graphic sex) so I think it would be fine to take the books back and buy some of these others instead. She'd still be getting to read about the supernatural (vampires, werewolves, ghosts, etc.) but in a more appropriate way.

There is a topic thread in a LibraryThing discussion group (READ YA LIT) that would probably give both of you some good ideas.

http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=2801

Answer 2

The Smoke thief I have read, and is NOT appropriate for a 14 year old. It contains graphic sex which is fine for me(23 year old) but not someone as young as that. Save it for the 17 birthday party. By the way, the woman at the book store may have thought the books were for a more mature reader.
Good Luck>^,,^<

Answer 3

Try anything by Sarah Dessen! Books by Sarah Dessen: What Happened to Goodbye Along for the Ride Lock and Key Just Listen The Truth About Forever This Lullaby Dreamland Keeping the Moon Someone Like You That Summer I believe they are mostly all romance based book! Happy Reading!

Answer 4

This is just my personal opinion, but as a search of Amazon has revealed at least the Saintcrow stuff you noted to be a fantasy series about a necromancer (death magician):

Kids will, and "ought" to, read books about things you don't want them to read about, particularly when they're 14. Reading horror stories and such is almost a rite of passage among teenagers, and your daughter is old enough to decide what she wants to read. Were she eight, you might have a stronger need to censor her, but at 14 she should be able to discern what she wants to read. Forbidding her from reading these books is only going to make her read them on the sly.

Rather than return the books to the store, why not make this an opportunity to educate your daughter: You and she can read the books, and discuss what you think might be inappropriate about them. You'll teach your daughter far more that way than by limiting what books she can read, and you'll encounter far less trouble that way as well than if you returned them without her permission (particularly if they're her purchases).

Answer 5

First of all, why don't you read the books your daughter reads?
If you want to know what she is reading, this seems the best step rather than guessing and making assumptions. Take your daughter to a library and ask for help in Juvenile fiction, high reading level. Have her try the series Left Behind. While it is not unusual for a girl her age to be interested in the occult and the supernatural, some of the material out there may be too mature for her to comprehend. She may be able academically to read it, but fully understanding the material and putting it in its proper perspective may be difficult at this age. Never, never condemn a written work without reading it first. Because you need to know what you are talking about so that you can make more informed decisions.

Answer 6

http://www.amazon.com/Smoke-Thief-Shana-Abe/dp/0553804480

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/4206726

http://www.myshelf.com/scifi_fantasy/06/deadmanrising.htm

http://www.myshelf.com/scifi_fantasy/06/workingforthedevil.htm

http://www.rondathompson.com/the_dark_one.html
"THE DARK ONE is fantastic no matter how you look at it. The writing is excellent to the point of painful—you can envision exactly what is happening to the characters in remarkable detail, it's done so well. The storyline is fraught with tension, sexual and nonsexual, and filled with three, yes three, scrumptious heroes, though one in particular is featured here. I read half of the book before finally glancing at the clock and realizing that I would have to wake my kids up for school in three hours. "- Shannon Johnson, Romance Readers at Heart


it depends on what you think is appropriate for your daughter
Yeah but the lilth saintcrow books are a little creepy..

Answer 7

I looked up these books and it seems that the theme for most of them is based on the paranormal....look at it this way. She could watch movies about most of this stuff every day of the week but if she reads, at least she is using her imagination. From what I read, in my opinion they are OK for a 14 year old. I read anything that I could get my hands on at 14 and kids have to read alot of things in school that would have seemed inappropriate 10 years ago. Of course open communication is important and you could use these books to talk to your daughter about many things!!! GOOD LUCK!





The Smoke Thief
by Shana Abe

About this title: The men of the drkon tribe try to hide their dangerous secret: they can change from human to dragon and back again. When the tribe's leader hears about a jewel thief in London, he knows the culprit is a rogue drkon--and astonishingly, a woman.





Kitty Goes to Washington
Carrie Vaughn


\\Barely escaping Denver, Colorado with her life on the closing pages of Kitty and the Midnight Hour, Kitty Norville takes to the road. As Kitty Goes to Washington opens, Kitty is drifting aimlessly around the United States broadcasting her newly syndicated late-night radio show from a different city each week. When she receives an unexpected call informing her that she has been subpoenaed by a Senate hearing into the Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology, chaired by her Bible-thumping nemesis Senator Duke, Kitty heads for the murky political waters of Washington, DC.

Plunging into a city full of international paranaturals, Kitty finds herself surrounded by unfamiliar -- and scary -- politics and games that seem to be governed by bizarre rules. As she enters the city she is stopped and "offered" the hospitality of the city's vampire mistress. Not sure why she needs a vampire's protection, she is further puzzled by the actions of Dr. Paul Flemming. Just a few weeks ago, he was eager to share information with her; now he keeps her at a disconcerting distance just when she needs the information he is hiding. And meeting a were-jaguar in a club for were-creatures only proves that Kitty must figure out the undercurrents in both the paranatural and political

Dead Man Rising
by Lilith Saintcrow

Working nonstop as a bounty hunter, Dante Valentine has spent the past six months trying to escape the memories of her failure to save a friend’s daughter and the death of the demon, Japhrimel. But soon she finds she must face even darker memories from her childhood. Someone is brutally murdering former students from Rigger Hall. Before Dante can solve this mystery, she must face her own nightmares of an abusive childhood spent at Rigger Hall.

Answer 8

Check wikipedia to find what the book is about and check customer reviews in Amazon.com to see what customers/readers have to say about the book. Also, ask the librarian, the book store owners/employees, and the school teachers if they have any book recommendations for a teenage girl. So long as they are encouraged to read in any appropriate books , that's good enough.

Answer 9

Then can I recommend to her the greatest fantasy books of all J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion. For sci-fi futuristic fantasy books check books written by Robert A. Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, and Elizabeth Moon. Elizabeth Moon's main characters in her books, are female space officers.

Answer 10

I hate to say this to you, but its NOT the bookstore's responsibility to screen material your daughter may read. That would be your job as a parent. If you don't want her reading these books, I would suggest you go with her to the bookstore.

Secondly, don't judge a book by the title. Lilith Saintcrow is a fantasy series author. Her books are FICTION.

My best advice to you would be to make a deal with your daughter which gives her a sense of empowerment but allows you to have communication about her books, too!

She's allowed to pick out any books she wants to read on the condition that you're permitted to read them first AND when you both finish the books, you will have a "book review" time.
Where you both sit down and have an adult conversation about the plot, the material, and anything else.

This will let her feel as if you trust her judgement in reading material. (Which you should. She's 14- she should be able to pick out her own books!) AND it will give you a chance to know what she's reading since you're reading it first.
You'll have time to anticipate any questions she might have and you'll be able to ensure a frank dialogue about the plot (and anything you and/or your morals/ethics/religion/etc have problems with. For example, if you think Lillith Saintcrow is satanic, which she's not, then you read the book first, and when your daughter read's it you're prepared to have a CONVERSATION about the material and it gives you a chance to remind her politely and in an adult tone that this is fiction, not fact.

Treat her with the respect you expect- she's growing up. How would you expect it if your mom told you what books to read? You would likely feel insulted-- same feelings your daughter will have, even if she is only 14.

You should let her pick out her own books but make sure you read them and discuss them with her. If you have problems iwth the books she picks out AFTER you've read them, then by all means have a frank discussion with her about your concerns.

Forbidding your daughter to read these books will only make her borrow them from friends, keep them in her locker at school, get them from the library, etc. You won't do any good by forcing her to return them.

This is a wonderful opportunity for you to open the lines of communication between yourself and your daughter. This is a great age for you to say "I trust you , but I want to be involved in your life."

If you set that up NOW and you have CONVERSATIONS and DIALOGUES instead of screaming and lectures and forbiddings, then you will have a very happy relationship with her all through her teens.