Don't consider me rude, but I've read all but 2 of these books, and those that I've read don't "demonstate abusive relationships, normalize low self-esteem", except maybe Twilight. And I know mothers who have read these books that love them as much as their daughters. They obviously had no problem with giving their daughters these books, and they often discuss them and fawn over the same characters. While these can be common themes, I don't think they are at all demonstrated in the books that I've read. I just thought I put that our there.

Yeah, sorry I don't agree. I've read all but one.

The House of Night series should be here.

By all means, pease add!

Ive only read around 1/3 of the list, but I still need to put my two cents in. Some books, like Twilight, do demonstrate these qualities and should be on the list. Others, should not. The Mortal Instruments series doesnt show abusive relationships, doesnt normalize low-self esteem, doesnt encourage girls to be helpless and let the man take care of it. Same with House of Night (mostly). Sometimes I wonder if people even read the books before they decide it shouldnt be read by others.

I consider myself lucky that I had a mom who wasn't concerned at all about what I chose to read. I suppose she trusted me to judge for myself. Oh horror, if somebody had tried to limit my choices!

Seriously, people it's just a silly list. I assume MI is on there because Jace is an insufferable jackass but I could be mistaken. Let your daughters read whatever the hell you want. I was only making a point about the depiction of relationships in YA teen lit.

You are certainly right, Kat. These relationships are sometimes very strange and I repeatedly wonder why people see a (anti)hero - like for instance Patch - as the ideal boyfriend. But I wonder as often about the multiple restrictions some adult readers would like to see in novel plots for a target group labeled as young "adults".
I am aware that you didn't start this list to go on a crusade!

oliviasbooks wrote: "I consider myself lucky that I had a mom who wasn't concerned at all about what I chose to read. I suppose she trusted me to judge for myself. Oh horror, if somebody had tried to limit my choices!"

Same here Olivia. If someone had tried to limit what I wanted to read, there would have been fur flying!

Twilight didn't seem too bad for me. If I had daughters I'd let them read those, but those other books... Urg. Edward didn't seem nearly as bad and jerk-like as Patch, Jace and that other dude who was also a jerk too >< UGH! Jerks are NOT SEXY!

Synesthesia wrote: "Edward didn't seem nearly as bad and jerk-like as Patch, Jace and that other dude who was also a jerk too >< UGH! Jerks are NOT SEXY!"
as opposed to really old dudes who like to stalk young girls while they're sleeping and also happen to be control freaks, of course. LOL!

These creeps are not the problem, though. They're out there--sans the supernatural part. The problem is how the girls in these books see those creeps. Jerks or not, all these guys reject the girls rather forcefully for 3/4 of the book and the girls love it!

Anyway, most parents don't have anything to worry about. If they did a good job "forming"--not just teaching--their kids, they won't have any problem recognizing when a character is just acting like an idiot.

The books I've added, I've read. I stuck with the House of Night series up to Burned and I really don't see the attraction of this series for young readers. I certainly would not want my daughter (if I had one) to be sleeping with a peer at school, her teacher, and some paranormal flying bird man. The sex scenes did not add to the story at all. The language was vile. I understand that's how people talk, but it is still not something I would want my kids to read.

Anyhow, I've never told my kids not to read something. I do tell them when a book might make them feel uncomfortable.

You do have a point about the stalking... I never really noticed the creepiness of that, but he wasn't an outright jerk like some of these guys. URG. I want an anti-pheramone to keep such men away from me.
I think I'll wear snakes. Maybe that will work.

But yeah, the fact that the girls were like, this guy flipped me off, now I shall try to learn more about him and get him to date me was so ANNOYING! AUGH!

Though as a kid I hated folks telling me what to read. When I have kids we can talk about what we read and what we learned from it.

AH wrote: "The House of Night series should be here."

i agree!

I added the House of Night series. It may not have abusive relationships, but it does teaches the readers to judge a girl by her sexuality or how she dresses, and that's not a nice menssage. And Fallen, of course.

Fernanda wrote: "I added the House of Night series. It may not have abusive relationships, but it does teaches the readers to judge a girl by her sexuality or how she dresses, and that's not a nice menssage. And Fa..."

One hundred percent agreed.

Hannah wrote: "Don't consider me rude, but I've read all but 2 of these books, and those that I've read don't "demonstate abusive relationships, normalize low self-esteem", except maybe Twilight. And I know mothe..."

I completely agree, Most of these books shouldn't be on this list!

I don't believe in censoring what people read, so it's not really something I can contemplate. There are books I wouldn't recommend but not that I would disallow.

I feel incredibly lucky that my mother never decided what I could and couldn't read.

Shauna wrote: "I feel incredibly lucky that my mother never decided what I could and couldn't read."

Same here! Mom never censored me. She let me read anything I wanted. I saw Lolita when I was 13 and I think its truly awful.

How did Shiver get on this list? It's like an antidote to the Twilight series.

I would never limit my actual daughters reading list. However, if she were to pick up twilight or any of the others on the list I would def. make sure she is aware that a boyfriend watching them while they sleep or one who limits who they can be friends with is not a good man to be with. A boyfriend being a jackass too you also is not a good choice in men. Obsession is not love.