Going to the Underland

After some rather deep and serious posts, on to lighter fare!


Well, actually... not really.


Today's post is about books in general, and about The Underland Chronicles specifically, and that particular series isn't exactly the lightest of reading, juvenile fiction though it is. The series is by the author of The Hunger Games, definitely not cheerful reading, but enthralling and thought-provoking all the same, so I was initially excited about the idea of introducing the kids to Suzanne Collins through her children's books. When I read, however, that they were about an underground world inhabited by giant rats and cockroaches, among other things, I was considerably less enthused, and I forgot about it for some months.




But recently Drew was looking for something new to read, and remembering these books, I thought they might actually tickle his fancy, so I checked the first one out from the library, handed it to him one day - and lost him for the rest of the day. I checked out the rest of the books in the series, and for the rest of that week, he was, much like Gregor (the main character), more in the Underland than in the Overland among the rest of us.

When Aimee saw that there was something completely engrossing about the books (rather than just gross, the way she and I imagined!), she dove in after him, and I read along as well -when I could get to them, at any rate. The first thing that struck me was how cleverly Suzanne Collins crafted this world in a way that made otherwise repulsive creatures almost enchanting - and definitely interesting to read about. I was also impressed with the way the story allows children to experience some intense themes and emotions in a relatively safe way - i.e., there is war and battle, life-and-death struggle, actual injury and death, but because much of it happens to fantastical animals, it's somewhat easier to process. Somewhat. The violence escalates towards the end of the series, and by the fifth book, it was pushing our limits just a bit. At one point I thought that the kids might just as well read The Hunger Games after all at the rate things were going. And in fact, as an aside, I thought the fifth and last book of this series was remarkably similar to the last book of The Hunger Games series. The main character in each spends a great deal of time wandering around in the depths of despair, witnessing and ruminating on just how terrible the situation is, believing he or she is going to die, and watching a close loved one die a terrible death instead. And to tell the truth, it gets just a teensy bit tiresome. Drew's interest wavered midway through the fifth book, as did mine (I think Aimee read through uninterrupted.) But then towards the end, the author pulled out all the stops in a spectacularly heart wrenching manner, which was absolutely brilliant or absolutely terrible (or maybe both), depending on who you talk to, and at what time. One of my children came to me at that point in the book, almost ashen, and said tremulously, "Sometimes authors make really...bad...choices." And then later, "Would it be silly to cry over a book character?" No, it's not at all silly. The other child came to me literally weeping, explaining the tragedy, then holding up a warning hand and advising through sobs, "I don't suggest you finish reading it." Both said at first that it was the worst book EVER for having done that, but both continue to talk about the series as a whole with warmth and excitement. So we talked a little about whether having one's emotions wrenched in a story makes the story a horrible one after all...or maybe just a really good one.

Which brings me to the subject, briefly, of books as a whole. What does make a good one? Recently -right about the time we began this series, actually - a post on a homeschool list I'm on prompted me to think about what criteria we use for deciding which books our children should read, and whether this particular series could fit the bill. We don't restrict ourselves to Christian material only, and one reason is because the world doesn't come packaged in a neat and tidy Christian box (the Bible, for that matter, doesn't come packaged in a very pretty box. Ever read Judges?). Eventually our kids will encounter topics and behaviors outside their worldview and value system, and I'd rather be with them when they do. But obviously we place some filters on what they read. Here's what we try to avoid:

Senseless violence, darkness, cruelty, or even just unkindness. (This is vague. But I guess I mean that there can be a place for some violence, as long as it's tempered by a noble purpose. Still vague? Sorry.)

Bathroom humor. The boys don't need any encouragement here, so I try to steer clear of cheap humor of this sort.

Excessive emphasis on mysticism or wizardry. Oh, this is very vague, I realize, and highly subjective!

Mouthy or bratty behavior in a hero or heroine. Here's another area in which I think kids don't need any help.

At this stage of the game with my kids, I also like to keep the boyfriend/girlfriend thing at a minimum.

Here's what we do like to see emphasized in books:

Honor, loyalty, friendship, family, determination, creativity, selflessness, and more like it!

These are elements woven throughout The Underland Chronicles. So while there are some intense elements (and a few references to evolution), it's a series that highlights some of the best things we like to see in literature. Tears and all.