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Common Sense Media has released a list of 50 books kids should read by age 12, and it's fantastic.
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein is on there. So is Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney and Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat all made the cut.
“The list includes books that are known to turn a kid into a reader, books that are known to hook reluctant readers and books that have stood the test of time,” Common Sense senior editor Regan McMahon said.
“I also didn't want the list to be all books from a white, Western perspective,” she said.
“I wanted books that discuss the immigrant experience and the people-of-colour experience. I wanted different genres to be represented: poetry, science-fiction, graphic novels, historical fiction, novels in verse, dystopian novels, fantasy.”
McMahon compiled the list largely by herself, with input from the Common Sense managing editor and editorial director.
Certain books, she said, made the list for being cultural touchstones: The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter.
“When kids get to high school and people make literary allusions to certain works, it's a good idea that you've read them,” she said.
Not everyone agrees.
“A lot of people are horrified that we'd ever recommend The Hunger Games,” McMahon said, of the stories about 24 teens pitted in a reality-show race to kill one another.
“But it's a great series. I read it. And it's not only known to hook kids and appeal to both boys and girls, but it's a very trenchant critique of our media-obsessed culture and the culture of violence that we're steeped in.”
Besides, a list that pleases everyone would be a tall order.
“Not even The Cat in the Hat is safe from our finger-wagging culture,” McMahon said. (Some parents disapprove of Thing One and Thing Two destroying Sally and her unnamed brother's house.)
Another surprise was To Kill a Mockingbird, a book I didn't read until high school (and then again as an adult), on the list. But McMahon said several of her peers read the Harper Lee classic in middle school, and more to the point, she strongly believes the themes resonate with 11- and 12-year-olds today.
“Race is such a strong issue right now,” she said.
“The issue of consent is constantly being discussed on high school and college campuses right now. The notion that we need to protect our kids from concepts like rape and racism - I think kids are running into these topics anyway, so why not read a great literary work that deals with them?”
I wholeheartedly agree. So much so that I forgive the list for not including my favourite kids book of all time: Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings.
Here's the full list:
- Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Mo Willems.
- Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, by Sherri Duskey Rinker.
- Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle.
- Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak.
- Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson.
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter.
- The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss.
- Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Arnold Lobel.
- Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans.
- The Complete Tales & Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh, by A. A. Milne.
- Mercy Watson to the Rescue, by Kate DiCamillo.
- Ramona the Pest, by Beverly Cleary.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl.
- Ivy + Bean: Book 1, by Annie Barrows.
- Stuart Little, by E.B. White.
- Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein.
- Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White.
- Coraline, by Neil Gaiman.
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, by J.K. Rowling.
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1, by C.S. Lewis.
- The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, by Kate DiCamillo.
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.
- Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery.
- The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1, by Lemony Snicket.
- Big Nate: In a Class by Himself: Big Nate, Book 1, by Lincoln Peirce.
- Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson.
- Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis.
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney.
- The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
- The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1, by Rick Riordan.
- Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume.
- A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle.
- Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan.
- Hold Fast, by Blue Balliett.
- I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World, by Malala Yousafzai and Patricia McCormick.
- Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai.
- My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George.
- Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party, by Ying Chang Compestine.
- Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech.
- Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank.
- Wonder, by R.J. Palacio.
- Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card.
- The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
- The Hunger Games, Book 1, by Suzanne Collins.
- Legend, Book 1, by Marie Lu.
- March: Book One, by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin.
- The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton.
- To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
Related links:
- Felicia AlvarezCrosswalk.com Contributing Writer
- 201413 Jun
In 2013, a twelve-year-old girl was lured away from her home by a 21 year-old-man. Once they met, he took her to a motel and took advantage of her. How did this little girl meet this terrible stranger?
Through an app called Whisper on her handheld device (yep, the one her parents bought her). And Whisper is only one of many dangerous apps, apps that every parent should be aware of.
The Scary Truth
“The bad guy’s not just at the bus stop anymore. He has entrance right into your kid’s bedroom and hand-held cellphone device.” Sexual predators can target your children even when your child is in the room down the hall. And sexual predators aren’t the only problem. Cyber-bullying and exposures to sexually inappropriate content are additional concerns.
New apps are constantly being created, so it’s important to monitor what your child downloads. Being aware of the online tricks predators use will help you know what to look for. So here is a current list of some of the most dangerous apps:
Whisper - This app allows you to post secrets anonymously and also allows you to chat with other users in your geographic area.
Why It’s Dangerous: Many children are drawn to communicating with strangers, feeling that their secrets are safer with them than with their friends. This app is a perfect tool for ill-intentioned strangers looking to connect with young people because it allows you to exchange messages with people nearest to you (so anonymity can be easily lost).
YikYak - All Yik Yak users are anonymous. They don’t create a profile or account, but they can post comments that are accessible to the nearest 500 people (within a 1-5 mile radius). A psychiatrist called this the most dangerous app he’d ever seen because it “can turn a school into a virtual chat room where everyone can post his or her comments, anonymously. Untruthful, mean, character-assassinating short messages are immediately seen by all users in a specific geographic area.”
Why It’s Dangerous: This app is causing problems in schools across the United States, with students maliciously slandering teacher, staff, and other students. In fact, several schools have now banned smart phones from campus because of this particular app.
Kik - A free app-based alternative texting service that allows texts/pictures to be sent without being logged in the phone history. (Similar apps: Viber, WhatsApp, TextNow)
Why It’s Dangerous – Makes it easier for your child to talk to strangers without your knowledge since it bypasses the wireless providers’ short message services (SMS). Children also think they can “sext” without parents finding out. In addition, strangers can send your child a “friend request.”
Snapchat – Allows you to capture an image or video and make it available to a recipient for a specific time. After that time limit is up, the picture/video automatically disappears forever…or so Snapchat claims. (Similar apps: Poke, Wire, and Wickr)
Why It’s Dangerous – Kids can receive (or send ) sexually inappropriate photos. This app also makes kids feel like they can “sext” or send inappropriate pictures without consequences because the image will self-destruct automatically. The truth is that nothing sent over the internet disappears. There are always ways to retrieve and capture those images.
Vine – Allows users to watch and post six second videos.
Why It’s Dangerous –While many of the videos are harmless, porn videos do pop up into the feed, exposing your children to sexually explicit material. You can also easily search for/access porn videos on this app. Predators utilize this app to search for teens and find their location. Then they try to connect with them via other messaging apps.
Game Pigeon Common Sense Media
ChatRoulette and Omegle– These apps allow you to video chat with strangers.
Why It’s Dangerous – Not only are users chatting with strangers, they could be chatting with a fake stranger. “Chat sites like Chatroulette and Omegle have done their best to produce systems that warns users when the people they are chatting to are potentially using fake webcam software, however developers still manage to slip under their radars with frequent updates.” So a fifty-year-old man could set up a fake webcam and use images from a 15-year-old boy that looks like a teen celebrity to convince your child to send inappropriate pictures or get information about your child’s location.
Tinder – Users post pictures and scroll through the images of other users. When they think someone is attractive they can “flag” the image. If that person has also “flagged” them in return, the app allows you to contact them.
Why It’s Dangerous – This app, and similar apps such as Down, Skout, Pure, and Blendr, are primarily used for hooking up.
Poof – Hides other apps on your phone. You select which apps you would like to hide and their icons will no longer show up on your smartphone screen.
Why It’s Dangerous – If children have apps that they want to keep hidden from their parents, all they have to do is download this app and “poof,” their screen is clear of any questionable apps. So, if you see the poof app on their phone, you may want to ask them what they are hiding.
What Now?
Game Pigeon Common Sense Media Review
Remember, your child’s safety is more important than their privacy. As a parent, you aren’t being nosy by checking their cell phone on a regular basis; you are being responsible. Perhaps your family could establish family media rules, such as having to check with a parent before downloading a new app or game. Having a common charging area so you can easily check phones could also be a good system for your family.
Also, take the time to explain to them (at an age-appropriate level) why you are asking them questions and checking their phone and privacy settings. Many children do not realize just how much information they are putting out there and how dangerous it can be.
If you have an older teen, and find some questionable apps on their phone, it may be a good opportunity for a discussion. Here are a few conversation starter ideas:
Conversation starter for YikYak– What kind of things would a person want to post anonymously? How would you personally use this app? What would you post anonymously? Why?
Conversation starter for SnapChat – Why do you want to send pictures that disappear? Would you be okay with anyone seeing that pic?
Conversation starter for Whisper – Why would you tell your secrets to strangers? If you are struggling with something, will a stranger care or be able to help you? Do you think it would be safe to accept their help/friendship?
Conversation starter for any app – Are you being safe with that app? Are you encouraging others or tearing them down? Are you being bullied? Are you putting out too much information about yourself? Is this an app that brings God glory?
Christian parents are called to instruct their children in biblical wisdom (Deuteronomy 6:6-8) and today that includes teaching them to apply biblical wisdom to media. Teaching your children how to choose appropriate apps and use them responsibly is vitally important in our media-saturated world.
Internet safety is just like any other kind of safety. You don’t just teach your child how to cross the street one time; you repeat “look both ways” to them for years! Similarly, we need to talk continually about internet/app safety. How much information should you share? With whom should you communicate? What should you post?
A wonderful tool to help guide you in the internet training process is available at Netsmartz.org. They have many resources for internet safety available, including resources for different ages. And it’s all available for free! You can use their videos for jumping-off points for discussion and incorporate biblical principles into your conversation. As Christians, we’re not simply training children to keep them out of trouble, but so they can grow in wisdom as well.
“The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him” (Proverbs 23:24).
Felicia Alvarez lives in Southern California and loves avocados, sunshine, and serving her Savior. Currently, she teaches dance to over one hundred students and is working on her second book. Connect with Felicia on her blog or Facebook—she would love to hear from you.