BTT: Age Appropriate
Do you read books “meant” for other age groups? Adult books when you were a child; Young-Adult books now that you’re grown; Picture books just for kicks … You know … books not “meant” for you. Or do you pretty much stick to what’s written for people your age?
Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!
I tend to read across the board as I have a three-year old and live at a preschool, all day. I read middle grade books to my three-year old for bed time as the longer, picture-less stories help him to fall asleep. I do, occasionally, dip into a Young Adult book when it calls to me but it’s usually more along the lines of historical fiction or political dystopia than fantasy or high school drama.
I think that truly good books transcend age, be they “adult” fiction read as younger people or “younger fiction” consumed by an older crowd. Likewise, tacky or “inappropriate” books for any age group will probably be greeted with resounding “no”‘s across time.
Iwriteinbooks's Blog 
How funny you mention tacky books and I reflect about reading steamy novels
P.S. I’m curious what middle-grade books you read to your three-year-old.
We’ve been reading The Guardians and Harry Potter. Also, a lot of old school stuff like A Wrinkle in Time and Narnia. It’s nice because my dad used to read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings to me and it’s comforting to just listen to a parental voice even if the story is a little bit complex. We read a lot of picture books during the day but as far as bed time, we’ve discovered that picture books mostly excite (woops!) and words, alone do much better for dreamland. ;O)
You’re right, good books do transcend age. It must be fun reading old childhood favourites to your son. I’ve enjoyed doing that with my nieces.
I agree – a good story is a good story no matter what age group it was written for.
wow i personally think its really important to read to children its good for their creative ability,
The Book Mystress, xx
I really like your point about good books transcending ages. I fully agree with that!
Here’s what I had to say:
http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/2011/05/booking-through-thursday-may-12-2011.html
I not only agree that truly good books transcend age, but I think also that those that do (transcend age) tend to be some of the best around! “The Little Prince” comes to mind…
I mostly read age appropriate books, but lately have been taking on more YA then I have in the past. I agree that if a book is well written, it doesn’t really matter what the target age is, but I do think that I tend to stay in my adult fiction box most of the time.
This is me to a T. I am always reading things “below” my age. 🙂 I love all things YA and children’s. I only read adult books because I have to review them for a newspaper column. 🙂
I agree that a good book can cross generations. 🙂
I agree. I love well-written books for any age — that’s why they become “classics.” I wouldn’t pick up some unless I was reading them to my kids, though. Great post.
Yes, the story and characters lead me to the books I read…I like the idea of books transcending age.
Here’s MY BTT2 POST
I like your answer and tend to agree. As I mentioned in my post, I tend to avoid YA because I just can’t relate. But, like you said, a really good book will transcend any age and all readers will be able to relate to it.
I read The Hobbit to my daughter when she was small. She just liked to hear my voice.
I agree that really good books transcend the generations and the ages. I wonder if the Harry Potter books will become classics?
Yes, I definitely avoid those “high school drama” books. Otherwise, I absolutely agree – a good book is a good book, no matter who it’s aimed at.
“I think that truly good books transcend age”–excellent quote, I couldn’t agree more! Hope you’ll stop by my BTT post and say hello.
Cindy’s Book Club
I read all ages and enjoy them all. Since I’m a youth services librarian I need to be able to recommend the books I’ve read to do my job well.