The Golden Compass

[kyfriedchick1]

Due to the movie coming out and all of the controversy surrounding this Philip Pullman book, I decided to check it out at my local library. Due to the fact that finals are coming up soon and I'm studying my tail off to keep my 4.0, I haven't had a chance to read the book yet. But it is definitely on my to-do list once school breaks for the semester.

My question is this: have any of you read this book yet? :confused: What did/do you think of it? Has it been part of any of your curriculums? I will admit that the WHOLE reason I checked it out & planned to read it was because it is causing such a stir in my Bible-belted area of the country. :eek: No book/movie has caused this much stir here since the first Harry Potter book!

[mopar]

I read the book and thought that it was amazingly perceptive novel. I think it is a great read for adults. I have not used it with children as of yet, mostly because I am not sure how parents will react to the novel. It has many similar characteristics to the Harry Potter series and the parents in my town didn't take well to that series.

[leafy seadragon]

This is a wonderful novel, but I think you need to match the novel to the right class. The movie will probably generate some hype, but I don't think it is an easy novel for all children to access. The Harry Potter books did create some hysteria amongst parents but we still studied them with alternate texts available for those students whose parents objected. It's like christmas really, you can choose to censor what your own child encounters, but cannot impose your ideas on everyone else.
It is a great book though, and you could really work with it on a deep level with your students.