Refreshing Innocence of HP Preteens

[blpurdom at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 24614

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Mindy, a.k.a. CLH" <mindyatime at j...> 
wrote:
 > One of the lovingly refreshing things about the HP books is that 
it is
> devoid of any lurid details and has absolutely zero sexual innuendo 
or
> encounters. It makes it appropriate for children to read as well.   
[snip] 
> I hope I did not offend anyone and I hope I did not open some 
flaming
> Pandora's Box. Please forgive me if I did. But these are my thoughts
> after all, and I am free to speak them.

I for one would never flame someone for having this opinion (that 
might surprise some folks who read my fanfic).  I also read the books 
to my almost-seven-year-old daughter and almost-nine-year-old son 
(and they read them on their own as well).  What I find myself doing 
when reading aloud is turning "damn" into "darn" and "hell" 
into "heck" inasmuch as I have already instituted a ban on THEM 
saying these things. (I don't know whether I'll be able to maintain 
that ban when they're older--or whether I'll care.  I DO care whether 
someone thinks I'm a terrible mother because I have a nine-year-old 
who says "damn," which thank goodness, I don't.)  

Oddly enough, I also find myself having to change or leave out the 
word "bitch" when it is referring to a female dog when I've read 
books such as "Lassie Come Home" and "Babe, the Gallant Pig" to my 
daughter.  That's just not how the word is used most of the time in 
the US, although it is a correct usuage.  I have a squick about my 
daughter hearing me say this word as I'm reading her to sleep at 
night...

I do suspect that there might be more moments like the "Unexpected 
Task" of GoF, but I trust that JKR will handle them tastefully.  It 
is possible that latter books will be more appropriate for ages 12 
and up, but until we get OotP into our hot little hands, it's really 
all just speculation.

--Barb