J.K. Rowling hits kids book ratings
A battle is brewing in Great Britain over publishers' plans to label children's books with "appropriate" age ratings, and opponents have been joined by a formidable author, J.K. Rowling. She signed an online petition of the No to Age Banding campaign, according to a story in the Guardian.
The petition argues that imposing such age recommendations is "ill-conceived, damaging to the interests of young readers and highly unlikely to make the slightest difference to sales." But publishers cite research suggesting that most consumers want the recommendations. Beginning this fall, book covers of participating publishers will bear a logo indicating they are suitable for readers aged 5+, 7+, 9+, 11+ and 13+/teen.
Some companies are exempt, and others are seeking guidance from their authors, the article says. Rowling's publisher, Bloomsbury, has no plans to introduce the labels, but has not ruled out the idea. What's next, R and PG-13?
While she always preferred The Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew, 
Comments
What next, age categories for other printed materials? Newspapers, magazines. Wake up, parents need to be active in their childrens lives from day one. Lets not start censoring books or age categorizing them. We need to get children to read and to read well. When I was growing up I had books from Sterling North, Jean Craighead George, in my younger years and Edgar Allen Poe, Henry David Thoreau, John Steinbeck and Jean Aul in my later years and numerous other books. This is a freedom for the authors let's not inhibit them in their writing.
Posted by: Christopher Firme | July 5, 2008 7:25 AM
This isn't about censorship. It's about helping parents make informed decisions about what their kids are reading.
I have 7 kids. I try to read the books my kids are reading, but I don't have enough time to read or investigate all of them. Having a rating system would be very helpful.
This wouldn't mean that a child couldn't read a certain book, unless their parent decided they shouldn't.
A rating would indeed be HELPFUL, but it wouldn't be the only deciding factor for me. I often don't allow my 16 year old to watch pg-13 movies because the ratings system doesn't necessarily reflect my values.
I would prefer a system where the content is labeled so I can be aware if a book has nudity, vulgarity or violence.
Posted by: mamabaig | April 18, 2009 9:55 AM
It is smart for parents to know what their kids are reading. Exactly why I just launched www.MoreThanItsCover.com...a content preview site for parents and readers. No censorship, reviews, or recommendations here. Just a brief overview of what's inside so parents and kids can make informed choices.
Posted by: Susanna Bartee | May 10, 2009 9:24 AM