Appropriate for Mature teens?

Use this forum to discuss the September 2020 Book of the month, " "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.
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Re: Appropriate for Mature teens?

Post by Stephanie Runyon »

I think they could at the High School level. I remember in 1990 the city of Wichita Kansas chose to integrate schools. I would go to the school a block away to catch a bus that took me to another school 2 hours away so that African American children and White children were evenly distributed in the Elementary schools. They would bus some of the children from that neighborhood to the school by my house. In the Tulsa Oklahoma area I don't see anything like that and that has been a big issue with race being a major topic, especially today.
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Post by Damis Seres Rodriguez »

Well, I think that while maturity is to a degree linked to age, there are many other factors that should be considered. Particularly, when it comes to the context that leads certain teenagers to have a deeper understanding than what it is expected from them. I know some adults that wouldn't deal with the content of the book themselves, and some teenagers that were exposed to more polemic content earlier in their lives. Regarding content, I think the exposure should be permited more on an individual basis than a general rule, saving obvious exceptions.
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Post by evraealtana »

For me, the most "mature" element of the book was Lena's relationship with Joey. I would hate for a teenager to get the idea that that kind of relationship is desirable, or even just normal. From the way it was presented in the book, though, I don't see that happening.
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Post by JGretz-7 »

Reading is such a safe way to learn about real-life. Kalayla definitely represents realistic situations and would be perfect for mature teenagers to read and discuss. I'm sure that they would be able to recognize character traits and learn to empathize with others that may have experienced similar situations. The characters grow and develop throughout the story and show that no matter how old you are, you can empower change, forgive others, and become a stronger, happier person because of it. Why would we not want our teenagers to explore these concepts?
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Post by ArriettyClock »

I think a lot of mature teens read adult books regardless of who it is aimed at. They can probably gain a lot of insight into difficult situations that people don't often talk about openly.
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Post by Beatus »

There are adults who would hide the truth to children because they think they are not old enough. However, life may have a different plan altogether. Yes, everyone has his/her own path. And through it a lot of things may happen and some may be bad or even terrible for your age or condition or gender. But if you are an adult and think it is not the right time for your child then do what you think is right.
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Post by Readinggrl18 »

I think mature teens could handle this book. Of course each parent should know what their own child can handle, but there is so much pain in the world and it is good for teens to be aware of what is out there. If they are too sheltered, they will be naive as adults.
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Post by Elvis Best »

In recent times, young adult and teenage books discuss really hard and complicated topics that used be a no-go area in the genre. I think it's because the youth of today mature at a faster rate and exposed to all kinds of information because of the internet.

So, I definitely think mature teens can handle the issues raised in this book.
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Post by Kenesha Latoya Fowler »

victoriasimons wrote: 21 Sep 2020, 08:58 Yes, I think it is important to expose teenagers to hard-hitting topics like those present in Kalayla. Hopefully, they can gain an understanding of other's hardships, build empathy and avoid the mistakes of our past generations (racism, prejudice etc.)
Absolutely! And besides, some would have already been exposed to such issues (sadly) in some form or other. Bottom line, I say mature teens can handle this book.
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Post by Miller56 »

I think that mature teenagers can handle more than most adults think they can. Today's teens see far more in school than I did in my day. They have to handle more bullying, suicides, and drugs. They are also more open to the differences in people because they are exposed to many different ways of life. I think mature teens can handle the topics found in this book.
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Post by Nelson Lyric »

Eugenia36Nicholas wrote: 18 Sep 2020, 07:08 Do you think mature teens can handle the issues raised in the book, or should it be for adults only?
YES THEY CAN, the author included plots that can benefit almost all age groups, given that the characters had different ages and specific plots were assigned to each of them.
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Post by Julehart1 »

I think that this book is appropriate for mature teens because teens these days have to deal with a lot of serious issues, so it’s important for them to read about same or similar situations and learn about how to best handle them. Also, some teenagers are wise beyond their years and have seen more problems in their lives then some adults, so mature teens should be able to read and enjoy this book.
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Post by Snowflake »

Karina Nowak wrote: 18 Sep 2020, 16:15 And it only made me more aware of what was going on around me, outside of the bubble that was my family and friends, and I never once felt like I couldn't handle reading it. It opened my eyes to things people went through that I had no experience in. I think this is needed, especially at that juvenile phase where you take yourself way too seriously and don't recognise that your life is actually much better than others, or that the problems you are going through right now that you think NOBODY can EVER understand, that actually there are people out there who have experienced it too and know how you feel.
Well said. Books are definitely a great way to open young minds to the world around them. Some things can be hard to read and learn about. Hopefully, any mature teen readers will also have someone to discuss the topics they are reading about with.
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Post by Ogbara »

MeganDJ wrote: 19 Sep 2020, 00:44 I think the worst things that we as an adult can do is limit a teenagers perspective. It is through these years that they truly start to learn about life in all its aspects, and I believe it is better to be prepared and exposed to such situations than to not be. I think teenagers would benefit greatly from reading this novel.
Yes! In addition to not limiting their perspective, we could also guide their perspective as well, by allowing them benefit from the contents of books like this.
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Post by Ogbara »

Lucille27 wrote: 18 Sep 2020, 14:28 I think mature teenagers understand these situations very well. Also, hiding them from these public is something that I believe, most of the times, works just the other way around. What I mean is that they will face different situations in real life and they have to be prepared. Explaining and trying to make others understand is always better than hiding.
Thinking we can Shield them from situations like this, could very well drive them into situations like this.
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