Kevin's Watch

Has anyone read that? It's by Phillip P-er, well something that begins with P. I have. I like it. I'd like to know your opinions on it, those of you who've read it. Am I making any sense here?

Phillip Pulman!!! I LOVE THOSE BOOKS!!!

Read all three of them over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

Well you get the idea (thank God for copy and paste!)

I used to beg my mom to let me get my name changed to Lyra!

Great books. If you can stand an asshole suddenly turning martyr, that is.

I have not read the books by Philip Pullman but I have seen them in the shop and have considered buying them. (With them I mean: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and the Amber Spyglass.)

But has anybody read any of Pullman's other work?

Yep, I've read several of his other works, too, and they're very good, too. Like the His Dark Materials trilogy they're hard to categorize and you will probably find them marked as children's books, but they're good and have universal appeal. Try The Ruby in the Well, a fine classic adventure mystery.

Hmm... My school library does have some of his other books. Never read 'em though. Below my reading level.

His Dark Materials! Those are my favorite books of all time. I love them love them love them!

Turiya, I wouldn't worry about them being "below your reading level." They're billed as young adult, but they really have some very adult themes in them, and can be enjoyed by people of any age. Heck, I first read The Golden Compass at eleven and loved it. And MsMary, who is, well, old enough to be my mother (wonder why that could be ), likes the trilogy too.

I've read some other Pullman books too - for example, the Sally Lockhart trilogy (The Ruby in the Smoke, The Shadow in the North, and The Tiger in the Well). Those were good as well. But nothing beats HDM.

~Foamy~

I'm 12 and I read the Golden Compass two years ago. We have this Accelerated Reading thing where we're not allowed to check out anything below our reading levels. His other books are only like 1/10 below my level. But that librarian won't let me check them out. The public library might have 'em though.

damn. that's a little on the draconian side of education. "You're too smart for these books. No young adult fiction for you! Back of the line!"

Yep. That's about what she said. Well on her, 'cause I'm going to the public library. They have all his books. I know. I called them. They're on my speed-dail. Hmm.... Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

I'll go you one better, Turiya -- I've got a link to our local library's online catalog bookmarked on both my home and work computers!

My kids' schools also have the Accelerated Reader program. My 13-year-old has been frustrated since the beginning of the school year -- her school library has very few books at her reading level that she's interested in reading. (She's a HUGE fan of Tamora Pierce, but there aren't many A.R. tests for her books.) There was some talk at the beginning of the school year about letting kids whose reading levels were off-the-charts opt out of A.R., but it didn't happen. So we share your pain!

I read the His Dark Materials series as they were published, and enjoyed them very much. The last book is almost too dark to be a young adult read, anyhow. My 15-year-old flat refused to read the books when I first recommended them to her a few years back; then she picked up the first one and proceeded to devour the rest of the series.

So far, neither of my kids has tackled TC. Maybe this summer....

Turiya Foul wrote:We have this Accelerated Reading thing where we're not allowed to check out anything below our reading levels.

How young do you have to be allowed Harry Potter? Don't tell me they file them as children's books.

Hmm, I could repeat what I said in the Potter thread about labeling books as suited for one age or another, but I'll just summarize: rubbish.

aliantha wrote:My 13-year-old has been frustrated since the beginning of the school year -- her school library has very few books at her reading level that she's interested in reading. (She's a HUGE fan of Tamora Pierce, but there aren't many A.R. tests for her books.)

Tamora Pierce rules. I grew up wanting to turn out like George Cooper.

Like GEORGE? You wanted to be a thief??

Of course George, Jon sucks. George's clever, witty, warm ... able to wait and give Alanna her freedom ... able to keep things apart (I couldn't have stayed friends with Jon). Best friend or lover you can ask for.

Sev-Yes, they do file them as children's books. They're somewhere around the 6th grade level, so the librarian lets me read 'em. It doesn't matter how old you are. It's your level that matters.

So which grade do you have to be to no longer be allowed Harry Potter?

That's all so crazy ... they should be happy the kids read at all instead of just playing video games. Telling people which books are good for them and which aren't ...

Seventh grade and up can't read 'em.

Turiya Foul wrote:I'm 12 and I read the Golden Compass two years ago. We have this Accelerated Reading thing where we're not allowed to check out anything below our reading levels. His other books are only like 1/10 below my level. But that librarian won't let me check them out. The public library might have 'em though.

So do they give you a list of what you are permitted to check out?


I can see where books like Harry Potter can cause problems for school libraries. So many kids want to read the books at the same time, and it would be a waste of resources to buy several copies of each book. (I had to wait for weeks for a copy of Fellowship of the Ring to become available when I first read it in High School. ) However, if no one checks out a book for a while, I don't see why you can't check out a book "below your level".

Imagine the future ...

"Hey! You! Put away that copy of The Wounded Land! That's for kindergarten only!"

The way A.R. works here, I think the kids can check out books below their level, but easier books aren't worth as many points. The deal is that the kids keep a reading log, listing the number of pages they read each day. (My daughter's middle school has actually set aside a half-hour every day for A.R.) Once they've finished a book, they get to take a comprehension test. If they pass the test, they are awarded points. Each kid has a specific point goal for each quarter -- if you make your goal, you get an A. So it's to your advantage to read harder books.

The problem is that these kids have been cutting their reading teeth on "Babysitter's Club" books, and now they have to read something close to actual literature. The Big Kahuna, point-wise, in my kid's school library is Don Quixote. She has tried it twice and just can't get more than about 100 pages into it before she bails.