Two questions on this one :D

1. Can somebody list all the books so far as my OH would like to start reading them Or..... If anybody wants to sell the books second hand we will take them off your hands at a good price ;) PM me :D

2. Do Libraries have parental guidance policy ? The reason why I ask Mike has just been reading

Dean Koobtz 'Velocity' and he recons it is a book that a 13 should not be able to get. Our Library has allowed our 13 yr old to get it out I suppose anybody though can get PS game that have mindless violence so what is the difference

Firstly, it's virtually impossible for library staff to vet what children read = their ability & maturity vary so much. What some 13 yrs old struggle to read, others will have whizzed through at 8. The fact that your 13yr old boy is still reading is something of a triumph for you - early teens boys are the most difficult to keep reading. Some libraries might only allow a 13 yr old to borrow from the children's section - they then lose a lot of otherwise keen readers who flatly refuse to read "kid's" books. There are parents who complain when their children take home books from the adult section - and parents who complain when their children are not allowed to borrow adult books. Library staff can't be expected to know the contents of every book or the abilities of every child.
Parental guidance is what is says - parents should be aware (as you obviously are) of what their children are reading - just as they should be aware of what they are looking at on the net.
Can honestly say, there are some books aimed specifically at teenagers which are far worse than Dean Koontz :D (speaking as a Dean Koontz fan)

I was reading Dean Koontz, James Herbert (Rats and Lair nearly gave me a heart attack mind) and Stephen King @ 13 :D :D

Please dont worry too much, I have a friend who insists on reading everything her son reads! If I had attempted that with my first child I'd still be at his 10/11 he is now 23...They can only compute so much but some just have a thirst for knowledge and will read everything in sight regardless. If its above him or to scary they will just put it down, then find something else so if there is plenty it will be fine. My son I realised was beyond me when he read Lord of the rings in year 5 at school (10). The librarian tried to put him but that made him more determined to read it.

I realise that Library staff have limitations 13 yr old is a female by the way

But do they have guidelines an thinking on are they police vetted ?

in our library you have 2 card colours one for over a certain again and one for under.  You have to have the colour to get the book in that range.

same with my library (well it was the last time I went ) I remember when I still had a junior card they did let me get a adult book out for a school project - but it was mozart

Sorry about changing 13yr old's sex! OOps!
Sorry, not sure what you mean about police vetted? The books? the staff?

Well I would be amazed and very disappointed if they let a 13 year old take that book out!!! I read a lot of psychological thrillers and at the weekend started reading Velocity! BIG MISTAKE!! I have had to put it away! I just can't read it...and I aint a wuz!! I think it's a very dark, disturbing book...personally I don't think a 13 year old should be reading it...I would ask the Library for their lending policy on under 18's?? Surely they wouldn't let them take out an 18 Video would they? So why do they let her take out a book like that?? All the best, Dawn X Ohh by the way, I aint an old stick in the mud...but I did monitor everything the children wanted to read and play etc...

My 10 year old is reading the biography of Nelson Mandelar!!!!!!!
His teacher took a snippit ouyt of the book for a project and James asked if he could read it. so his teacher let him and he is thoroughly enjoying it.
He does not read books for his own age. Reads mostly adult books and reads them in a few weeks. He can also have 4 books on the go at once and chop anbd change which books he reads depending on how he feels and can still keep up with all the stories!!!!
My point is, if he was restricted to the books he is allowed to read, he wouldnt read anything as he finds book for his own age boring!!!!!!
Lea :)

Yes, but there are millions of Adult books he can read that aren't deep, dark and very, very sinister surely? I don't have a problem with children reading 'adult' literature...I have a problem with 13 year olds being able to get freaky books from Libraries!! You allow your children to do what you think is the right thing, I don't have a problem with that either...the only thing I will add is that working closely with Social services when investigating child abuse, what you find is parents that think it's ok for children to watch porn as they don't think they 'understand it' or whatever c=rap they come out with. Which is a totally different ball game(wow wrong terminology really!!! LOL :D) There are degrees for what we think, as parents, are unacceptable. For me, that includes letting children read deeply disturbing books. If it upsets me, then I figure it will upset a LOT of 13 year olds....not all of them of course, but I wouldn't let any 13 year old of mine read it. Of course that's just my humble opinion. FWIW

This is the problem Newfie dreams, what you think isn't suitable for a 13 yrs old, other people will say is OK. Videos are far different because all films are classified by a body set up to do just that - the same doesn't apply to books. Easy to say that a child shouldn't be allowed to take out such a book but, the member of staff in question quite possibly did not know the content or may simply have been so busy that they didn't notice - which is why they ultimate decision as to whether r not the book is suitable is up to the parents

Anwen, of course you are right...the Parents have ultimate resposibility, which is why I said I, as a parent, wouldn't let my 13 year old read iit!! It was just ironic that only a night ago I had decided ot was TOO dark, even for me!! and I read a LOT of thrillers! like is said, just my HUMBLE opinion, for what it's worth, which is probably nowt!! LOL

No problem about the sex change :D

The reason why I mentioned Police checks as was thinking about vetting staff  as there are a lot of kids that go into Libraries :) MY DD and her friends go to our village library alot ( very lucky to have such a facility )

So would it not be another area the child protection rules about vetting should be used ? :)

Yes, LJS, all library staff now have to be police checked before being appointed, just like teachers etc etc.
(Talking about public & school libraries, don't know anything about academic or commercial libraries)

Do you want the list of the books being read for the book club on here?

If so

1. Kite Runner - Jan book
2. Secret Fan & the Snow Flower - Feb book
3. We Need To Talk About Kevin - current month

Hope this helps!