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What grade level would you recommend this book? My sixth graders are reading this but I think it is a bit inapproiate for their level. Opinions?

I think that Paper Towns is appropriate for eighth grade and up... But that's just my opinion.

It does deal with some tough subjects. It all depends on the maturity of the 6th graders. If they're reading Hunger Games/Twilight already this will be fine for them.

I would say high school age. I don't think the theme of suicide is something that should be encouraged among younger readers.

I read Paper Towns when I was in 7th grade but even before then, I had read books containing tough subjects and agree that it depends on how mature the 6th graders were. When I think back to my sixth-grade class, I'd say at least a third of them would read Paper Towns, enjoy it, dissect it and discuss it and be done with it. While another third would laugh through the entire thing, make weird innuendos that made no sense or be scarred for life. The other third wouldn't touch a book with a 10-foot pole. So, really, it all depends on the students, their maturity, their experiences and how they react to certain things.

I personally think it all depends on the maturity level of who's reading it. Especially now a days, kids are being introduced to harder topics earlier on. This of course is important, but it ultimately leads to whether or not it's acceptable at a certain age.

I absolutely agree with what others have said before. While a middle school grade would be appropriate, it would depend on the culture and experiences of the kids that go to that school. Some kiddos are exposed to difficult topics earlier in life than others, and if the group of kids has that experience as a whole, they may indeed be ready for it by 6th grade.

I think we often have this "monkey see, monkey do" attitude when it comes to kids or teens. As far as the book's complexity, it's perfectly readable to pre-teens and up, but I don't think reading it, even if it is "inappropriate", is going to have as much influence as some people would think.

ebfielder wrote:What grade level would you recommend this book? My sixth graders are reading this but I think it is a bit inapproiate for their level. Opinions?

Sixth grade doesn't sound too inappropriate. John Green's "Looking for Alaska" sound probably be read in high school, but I think that "Paper Towns" is fine in a middle school setting.

There are a few subjects in this book that are not appropriate for 6th grade students but it is not a big deal these days. It depends upon the maturity of the reader.

I think this might be more appropriate for 9th or 10th graders. A high school graduation is a very abstract concept for 6th graders, I'd think, because it's still 6 years away for them. Freshmen and sophomores, though, would understand the importance of these situations because they see their peers going through it and can count the days until they reach that stage as well. While the themes of empathy, truly listening to other people, etc are relevant for all age groups, I think the topics of suicide and sexual innuendos are also more appropriate for a slightly older audience. I also think that high schoolers could better relate to the characters and understand that the relationship between Margo and Quentin is not exactly healthy or ideal, which a younger audience might not fully understand.

I would say 8th graders or above. Not everybody can handle a book like this before that age.

The themes of suicide, depression, and dropping everything for what you love- even when itś unreasonable- are very mature. Therefore, I recommend it to high school age students.

I would say, with how sensitive society's gotten about dark thematic elements in media and how it affects and influences children's development, it's best for high school audiences and up, hence the YA tag. I do think that children who display high levels of maturity and reasoning shouldn't be limited, however, in the materials that they're exposed to but how would be determine who those children are? I've been reading books with all sorts of scenes and themes generally thought of as adult-targeted content from a very young age and think this is what helps with my analytic and dissecting traits, so I do think that there are those children who would be able to read these types of books.

Probably not appropriate to be given out by the school library, but on their own time? Sure. It's not like buying a book at the bookstore has the same hell no quality as buying liquor at the store. I feel that kids know a lot more than we give them credit for, and as long as we guide them along it's fine.