Cool, thank you!

The 3rd-graders I work with don't read. I don't mean it isn't fun, I mean they can barely read. One was sent down the hall last year, to examine how the 5th-graders read. Absolutely no difference. Children see it as a chore, something that they only have to do in school, so they never learn to enjoy it. Think; now teachers are not asking "Can you read this?", they are saying "Read this or you fail." Not exactly positive reenforcement. Then again, the students aren't so eager, with the XBox 360 waiting at home.

Rant finished.

*walks away with head down*

Man, in third grade, the teacher had to keep YELLING at me FOR reading in class.

I had the same problem in 4th grade, especially since I was reading "grown up" books. Like Willard.

Yeah, I was reading 'young adult' fiction and a few classics. I read gulliver's travels, treasure island, etc before fourth grade... and remember none of them.

I recall when I was in 5th grade (mid 70s), we moved from town to the country and the library was far, far away. So I started reading Mom's books; Stephen King is most notable, along with Jaws (scared of water now) and her college classics: Return of the Native, Kim, Scarlet Letter, Catcher in the Rye and Hemingway ~ Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls.

I'm pretty sure I read the Exorcist in 5th or 6th grade.

What is that book American teenagers always used to read ? The cross and the switch-blade ? Something like that .

I had a teacher take away one of my Stephen King novels because "The movies are rated R, so the books must be too."

An attempt was made at that with me. My mother said, "If she's able to read it, let her. It's not her fault that you wouldn't place her in the grade she tested into. She's bored."

(I had transferred to Catholic school because of a move (my cousins went there, so I also had to go) and tested at the 6th Grade math level and 9th or 10th grade reading level. It is typical practice of Catholic schools to place public school transfer students into the next lower grade because the "public school education is bad". What ended up happening is that even though I was placed into my age-appropriate grade, I lost some serious ground since Catholic school 4th grade math was similar to public school late 2nd grade math in the MidWestern district from which I originated.)

The film in my head after reading 'Misery' is definitely not for children , so perhaps your teacher had a point , Clodfobble ?
Incidentally , 'Misery' is the only good book that Stephen King has ever written .

Incorrect. But it might have been the last.

... and 'Misery ' is bloody brilliant .

The Stand is "bloody brilliant."

Misery was all about the shock.

Well , I have not read that one . I went off Stephen King when he started to go supernatural with clowns . If I want to go American supernatural , I read Poe , or James . No one has ever written anything better than 'The Turn of The Screw' in that sort of vein . Bloody TRULY brilliant .