The Book Rating System

I am of the opinion that the current rating system for books is completely inadequate. When you go to watch a movie you can find out if it is rated PG-13, meaning that it is suitable for children over 13, and why the movie is rated like that. It has to do with content, not level of understanding. It's the same with video games. However, in books you have only the ratings of juvenile fiction, youth fiction, and adult fiction. Unfortunately, these levels can apply to reading level, the age range of the characters, the content, you name it. The trashiest romance novel has the same rating as Jane Eyre, a perfectly clean book. For those seeking to find mature literature that is also clean it is almost impossible without recommendations. Even then, you have only the word of someone else, and they might not have the same standards as you

Even more serious is the case of children with advanced reading levels. I was one of those, as were many of my friends. Many elementary school children can read on levels far above their age range. Because nothing is too hard, they assume they can read anything, which means they read books that are not appropriate for their age (or in my opinion anyone) simply because they come across them in the library.

I had the misfortune of having that experience and reading an extremely graphic book as a sixth grader because I picked it up at the library and it looked good. I didn't know there would be any reason for me not to read it. True, it was adult fiction, but I had read some adult fiction before and it wasn't too difficult. I had no idea what I was getting.

A similar experience happened to a friend of mine. She picked up a book by a beloved children's author (Judy Blume), although this was an adult fiction book she had written. As a fifth grader she read an explicit novel because it was, of course, not too hard, and there was no other apparent reason not to read it.

That is the way it is with books at the current moment. You pick up a book of the shelf. It is marked "adult fiction." Whether that means it is a complex book that requires high comprehension or simply that it has a graphic sex scene, you can have no idea. There might be a description on the back, or maybe not, but that still doesn't let you know what you're getting into. The other media prevalent in our country is carefully regulated. Why not books, one of the most wide spread and accessible media available for free in public libraries across the nation. Something needs to be done.