The setting for my mishap: a middle school book fair. This word nerd should have been at her best, encouraging kids away from the erasers shaped like toilets and toward the shelves of freshly printed books.
But no.
My son wanted to buy the last book from the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. It had just come out and carried the recently published hard cover price. I redirected him to the sale table.
“Look at this one,” I said, holding up The Maze Runner. The back copy promised a good dystopian adventure: erased memories, a maze with shifting walls, and a struggle for survival.
Note: I had my iPhone in my pocket, with the Goodreads and Common Sense Media apps loaded and ready to give me more information about the book. But did I consult either one? No.
Weeks later, after my son had burned through the whole series, he said in the car on the way to school, “The Maze Runner is good, but it’s pretty violent. I don’t think Rosie should read it for a while.”
Me: “Pretty violent? What does that mean?”
Son: “There are these monsters made of blubber, but they have sharp things like knives sticking out of them, and if one of the kids gets infected by a cut from the monsters, he turns into a cannibal.”
Me: “Ew.”
Son: “And as the book goes on, you find out that it’s a company sending kids into the maze, conducting experiments to see if the kids can survive.”
Fantastic. I worry about The Hunger Games because kids kill kids. With this book,
adults kill the kids. Which is worse?
Son: “If you want the full experience, you should really read the book.”
Me (shaking head): “Cannibalism and monsters? No thanks. Why do you like this series?”
“The main character, Thomas, is really smart and he’s trying to help everyone get out. He even gets himself hurt so that he can learn more.”
A smart, selfless protagonist. Well, at least that’s good.
I dropped off my child and consulted Common Sense Media. The review said that the scenes of violence in The Maze Runner were worse than any in The Hunger Games. But it also pointed out that Thomas is a good role model, and that teens would like the book because they could enjoy the extreme action from a safe distance. It labelled the series “mature.”
Since this incident, I’ve made it clear to my son that he should not constantly read violent books; I worry that too much exposure might desensitize him. But I’m glad he talked to me about The Maze Runner, and I want him to keep doing that. Our world is, unfortunately, a violent place, and Dashner’s book prompted a meaningful discussion.
He read The Hunger Games next, and we discussed both books over a game of ping-pong. (Note: boys are most likely to talk while you are doing something else, i.e. tossing a football, taking a hike, or passing a soccer ball.)
Next time, I will remember to consult Common Sense Media so I will know what he’s reading and can pose good questions. Perhaps even read it first!
Have you ever had a book take you by surprise? How do you feel about violence in books? Where do you research books?
I LOVED “Maze Runner”! I got it for my son, who blazed through it, loved it, & suggested I read it. The author plops you into a world with no foundation at all to cling to, just like the main character. It’s mysterious and suspenseful, and new questions keep cropping up every time one gets answered. I didn’t consider it very violent, because the blobby monsters they battle against are inanimate, althought what the monsters do to the kids is violent.
I wish I could say that the entire series is this good, but it’s not. The author resorts to violence and gore with his subsequent novels, inculding the prequel. Compared to those, “Maze Runner” is very tame indeed.
Nevertheless, my oldest son loved all of the books, and I do confess that my heart got a warm fuzzy during carpool one day when another friend of his claimed to have loved this series too. Boys at this age who choose to read because they love it are rare.
With “Maze Runner,” it’s simply a good story with some violence as part of it. With the remainder of the series, it’s a lot of violence with a little story attached. Be warned!
Thank you Muddy for adding a little more information to my “cautionary tale”. You make some important points about the differences between the books in the series. Sometimes I wish the author would just stop with the first book.
By the way, my two oldest read “Wonder” based on your review and loved it! Thanks for that recommendation! I have to return it to the library but hope to read it over the summer.
I was mortified when my daughter was reading “Game of Thrones” in the school gym and a faculty member was very public about his great SHOCK that I would allow it. What’s wrong with the book, I asked. “It’s SO violent…” he said, sexual, and on and on. I was so embarrassed as this was in front of a lot of parents of small children. My daughter was embarrassed as she was right there. I have such a hard time keeping up with what she’s reading as she FLIES through books and is very trustworthy (most of the time!) She admitted she shouldn’t be reading it (esp. at 13.) But I thought I best be a little more on top of things! p.s. although an adult called me out, I was actually glad he said something – he was more effective than I could have been with my daughter. We parents have to look out for each other’s children, too!
Thanks for sharing Amy. I’m glad I’m not alone. It’s very hard to stay on top of what our kids “consume”, but we’ve got to keep trying. And helping each other out. I had to alert the mother of my son’s best friend about The Maze Runner. She let her child read it because I had let Alex read it. She thought, “It should be ok if Julia let her kid read it.” ARRGG!
My husband has read the “Game of Thrones” series and insists its not for kids, mostly because of the violence and sex. I heard the author describe it on NPR as “The Sopranos in Middle Earth.”
I haven’t read The Maze Runner, but I have read the Hunger Games series. Overall, that series was no more violent than the video games my students play on their own, apparently without any parental supervision or guidance. I honestly don’t believe half the parents *know* the content of the video games they are playing.
The books, at least, have a theme and usually a positive protagonist.
The video games don’t. 🙁
Excellent point, Dianne, and one I hadn’t really thought about much. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
Julia,
I appreciate your honest feedback. And, knowing our boys are close in age makes me relate to you b/c ours love to read too. You have helped me with book reviews and I appreciate it very much.
Have a good weekend,
Hester, 🙂
I had someone tell me this book was better than Hunger Games. I read the Hunger Games because as a public school teacher I felt I needed to know what my students were reading. I didn’t get very far into Maze Runner before I abandoned it. I don’t recommend either series.
My goal as a momma is to encourage my kiddos to read anything and everything that causes them to think. I want them to broaden their horizons and develop their own opinions on real-life issues. So, yes, that includes violence. However, I feel their is a major difference in violence and gore. The latter of the two is not allowed in this house!
I couldn’t agree with you more about getting your boys talking. You should see my long pass 😉
Thanks Valerie. How do you separate violence from gore? I feel like the two often come intertwined.
I typically base my opinion of the 2 on real life circumstances. If the content is based on events that have actually, or could possible take place I consider that violence. For example, books about war. I tend to think of gore as being more graphic and somewhat unrealistic in nature.
It’s great your son knows he can talk to you about the less-than-savory stuff he sees in books. I’ve known teachers who have gotten in trouble for having violent books in the in their classroom, even when the books are written for a middle school audience. If I teach again, I hope that doesn’t happen to me!
I am so happy he talks to me! Good news for future book conversations, and all of the other difficult stuff we have to talk about!