On the categorising of books.

[adaeze]

I do realise, of course, that all fantasy and science fiction is a minor sub-genre of children's fiction, but I was still taken aback to see that the children's section in this morning's secondhand book shop included GRRMartin's Song of Ice and Fire books.

Comments

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Whatever next?? Children reading the Silmarillion???

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

Um from what I've heard/read, some of the content is not suitable for children, really. Much less the TV series. To be honest it all sounds a bit longwinded and frankly boring predictable repetitive (misogynist?) pseudohistorical crap to me and I suspect in the end the ending(s) might be disappointing too.

I may be wrong but I don't have time to read the whole thing to find out and if I did I'd probably go for reading several other books instead ;)

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

Having written this and then thought a bit more (you'd think the latter would come first, but this is me...) I see that "not suitable for children" is the general consensus anyway. I wonder if some children would actually see through the hype.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Good Heavens!

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, this was obviously done by someone who had not read them.

[heliopausa.livejournal.com]

The categorisers have such a binary approach!
Does it have talking animals? Y/N? If Y, children's section. (Animal Farm turns up there, frequently.
Does it have children as characters? Y/N? If Y, children's section.
(I've seen A High Wing in Jamaica there.)
and in this case...
Does it have dragons? Y/N? :(

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Spectacular own goal there on so many fronts, not least the failure to cash in on sales associated with such a successful adult TV series.

Although now I am imagining the book shop owner as having a nightmarishly dark world view. The world is dark and full of terrors. Children should read about the horrors that may ensue and take warning! Expecting most of his child readers to die off early, but is hoping that those that survive will be Arya.

[emperor]

That's not my king - his head got chopped off
That's not my king - the strangler got him
...