Are Jonathan Moeller’s Books Suitable For Kids/Teens?
A reader emailed to ask if my books were suitable for teenagers.
I gave her the same answer I always give people who ask that question: I don’t know. It depends on what the parents are comfortable letting their kids read and what the kids themselves are capable of handling, and that is different with every family.
Granted, if you spend five seconds on YouTube (or Netflix), you can find stuff way nastier than anything you’ll ever find in any of my books, and a site like Twitter lets you see the darker sides of human nature in much less than five seconds.
But that’s dodging the question! We’re not asking whether YouTube is suitable for children, we’re asking whether or not my books are. And I get the concern. I really do. I spent a long time working in IT, so I’ve seen a lot of the Bad Side of the Internet. Caution is always warranted.
So, my answer is that the first books of all my series are free, and so a concerned parent can read the book at no charge whatsoever and make up their own minds.
Here is the list of free books!
So, seven free books and one free novella! If that doesn’t let you make up your mind about my books, then nothing ever will. 🙂
-JM
I always did read all the books my children read (and some of it was painful to get through – for example, the Twilight series – ugh). I never once directly censored anything they read or watched (and they’re adults now), but I did provide guidance and there’s an interesting story behind that.
When older daughter was 3, she wanted to watch some movie (I can’t even remember which one now). It was definitely too old for her and I said, “If you watch that you’ll be very upset.” She said, “No, no, daddy, my friends have watched it, it’ll be okay.” I decided that while it would be a bit traumatic, she’d get over it (she was always pretty resilient). So I said, “I’ll let you watch it and I’ll watch it with you, but I’ve warned you now.”
So we watched the movie and she was really upset (but did, of course, get over it eventually). After that, when ever I said about a book or movie, “I think that you shouldn’t watch (or read) that now because of (fill in the blank),” she’d always defer to my judgement.
Even better, when younger daughter also begged to watch a movie at a young age that wasn’t age appropriate, when I told her so and she was about to argue, older daughter was listening and said to her (with a very solemn face and oh-so-serious voice), “If daddy says you shouldn’t watch that, you really don’t want to watch. I watched something he said I shouldn’t once, and I was really, really scared for a long time and had nightmares!” It was all I could do to keep from laughing. But, younger daughter said, “Okay” and that was that. A little terror goes a long ways! (I’m really not a bad parent – I knew she’d get over it).
That being said, as much as I love your books, I would’ve “suggested” to my daughters that they not read them until at least 12. For example, what Maglarion did to Caina is kinda intense for a child (especially a girl child), in my opinion.
If they insisted, I would’ve let them read your books, but they would’ve likely taken my advice.
That seems like a good balance between censorship and guidance. I sometimes see parents who completely restrict what their kids can see and think it’s doing the kids a disservice. It’s like they’re living in a sterile room and not getting a chance to develop an immune system. But, none of my business.
I have noticed (and the narrator commented on this) that when people get to Chapter 4 in CHILD OF THE GHOSTS, the scene when Maglarion harvests Caina’s blood, people either 1.) throw aside the book in disgust, or 2.) stick with Caina forever. So far, “forever” has meant 21 novels and counting!
Thank you for sharing your story! I completely agree with your parenting style.
Like Mr. Moeller said, sheltering our kids from reality does them a great disservice. I believe, as you seem to, that our job is not to insulate them from the real world but rather to be honest with them and teach them the skills they will need to navigate it.
I also agree that age 12 should be the youngest end of this series’ audience. My son is 16, and it’s been about 2 years since he inherited my addiction to Jonathan Moeller. Even at 14, there were some concepts that were a little difficult for him to grasp.
As a parent, I highly recommend sharing Mr. Moeller’s books with your teenagers! If you’re the type of parent who believes developing trust with your kids is more important than applying rose colored glasses to their worldview, these books can spark some revealing, emotional, and enjoyable conversations. My son is particularly inspired by Ridmark Arban, and his choices and adventures have sparked several lengthy conversations about morality, fidelity, self-esteem, honor, and more.