Lowering Our Standards

We therefore loaded up on Goosebumps, comic books, and other “light” reading. This was based on our own experiences. But it was the right decision: The children loved them, and as we have seen, this light reading led to “heavier” reading.

Again, the experience of Carlsen and Sherrill’s subjects agree with our experiences.  Several of their subjects talk about how premature exposure to “classic” and “quality” literature turned them off to reading.  An example would be a librarian who insisted that children read The Last of the Mohicans. Here are some others:

The librarian was a sharp tongued ogre whose mere glance threatened my mental health, and being the sensitive, rather insecure child that I was, I found it less traumatic to frequent places other than the library. If a book we wanted to check out didn’t suit her fancy, she would read us the riot act with her brows furrowed and her jowls drooping. And consequently, we were actually afraid to try out new types of reading or books we wanted to read because of natural inquisitiveness.

When I was graduated from college I found it difficult to read anything pleasurable for almost two years. I don’t really know why as I had always loved to read, but I think it might have had something to do with the fact that every time we brought up popular titles in English courses, they were ridiculed as trash and I somehow felt without realizing it that an English major only read certain books, that I was tired of reading those books and I therefore read nothing at all.

We need, however, to remind readers that our goal is not to produce light readers for life. Although we all continue to do light reading, our ultimate goal is to help children develop the competence to read truly demanding literature. Goosebumps is a bridge. Our intention is to supply this link missing from the lives of many children.