Instructify

Families and teachers alike can be daunted by the sheer volume of book choices out there for early adolescent readers. Wading through the good, the bad, and the ugly may not be the way we choose to spend our own reading time, and, yet, many of us want to be informed about or even influence the book choices that our children and students make for independent reading. With bookstores dominated by massive displays for the popular Gossip Girl and Twilight series, a grown-up may need a tour guide.

Bookwise Parents recognizes these concerns and responds with a service that provides monthly book reviews organized into three categories: 1) Great books read on…; 2) Great books use caution…; and 3) Tread lightly. The book reviewers are two North Carolinians, both of whom are teachers and parents of children between the ages of 8 and 14 — the target group for this site. The sample book reviews are concise and informative, highlighting themes and messages as well as basic plot points. Each review is accompanied by icons to indicate subject matter that might be of concern: sex; drugs; violence; alcohol; and language. The usual suspects. The first three months of service are free, with subsequent monthly reviews available for $6.99.

The founders of Bookwise Parents emphasize that their intent is not to censor books for children, but rather to provide parents with the information needed to expose their children to quality books and to provide an educational context for the child when books deal with mature themes. But is that what parents will actually do? Wouldn’t it just be easier to ban Gossip Girl? Wouldn’t it just be easier to steer kids away from those quality books that happen to deal with sex because, really, who wants to have the sex talk? Although these attitudes are certainly not recommended by Bookwise Parents, parents may well take the easy road. The harder road is to take this information about books and help kids develop their own taste and media literacy as they read it all — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Before you recommend this site to parents of students in your class, consider how each family is likely to use the information about the content and quality of books out there. It may be more fruitful for certain kids to make their own discoveries about the world of books, with a little, subtle guidance from you. –ABBY MARTIN

Bookwise Parents

Related Stuff:

Find Good Books for Boys With Guys Read

This Should Keep them Busy for a While: 100 Books Every Child Should Read