Who are we to say when a person is ready to read a book? Teens are all different, families are all different. Thankfully, we live in a kinder age but that doesn't mean we should shelter our teenagers from the raw edges of life.

And just as the little darlings were trembling with their cold blankets pressed up to their noses, what did their parents do? They said goodnight, snuffed out the candle and left them alone. The tales that they told to their children are frankly terrifying. What better way to explore some of the richness and tragedy of life than through a well-written story? Story gives us an experience of the world that comes fitted with the safety net of fiction. Life is complex, emotions run deep, the perceptions of others are hard to gauge. You may now safely untwist your knickers. Then, think of the phrases they've already heard at school. If you get yourself in a frenzy of indignation over this sort of thing, then please take a deep breath and review the contents of the average video game.

A good reader always pushes at the limits of their ability.ĭoes the Wool trilogy have some strong language? Yes – a little but not a lot and not very harsh. And if they don't fully understand some of the themes and sub-texts of Wool, or any other book, does it really matter? If the teenager has enjoyed the pace of the story and was engaged with the characters, they may well have perceived more of the underlying substance than they can verbalise.

There isn't anything in Wool that will upset or confuse the average teenager, unless they've led a very sheltered life. Sure, it's a shame that they don't read much else, but it's so much better than the alternatives: “I've never read a book in my life” or “Reading? It's boring innit.” This is especially true of Rowling's male fans. Many adults who devour Harry Potter were the sort of people who had avoided reading in the past. That was their choice and I applaud them for it. I taught an 11 year old girl who was reading Jung Chan's Wild Swans and sharing the experience with her mother. Here are some of my thoughts, based on my experiences of the YA phenomenon. The only book that upset me was Oliver Twist the graphic description of cruelty to starving children was too much for me. When I was a teenager, I read books for adults and I was enriched by it. Like many people, I'm uncomfortable with the tendency to label books with age groups – especially when it's done for marketing purposes. Update: As this post has had some interest, I've recorded a follow-up video that you can see here: Watch the video The paperback version of Wool mentions The Hunger Games and this suggests that the publishers are aiming Wool at the same market. There's been some discussion online about the labelling of Hugh Howey's Wool as a book for teenagers or young adults.

The Wool Trilogy by Hugh Howey