A couple of months ago my girls and I were going to begin reading Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens for a book group we participate in. Olivia, age 11, went to the library and asked the librarian to help her look it up on the computer system. The librarian instead looked it up for her and said she'd show her where it was*. She then told her it was "a pretty big book. We have a kid version, if you'd like".
Olivia responded that she wanted the unabridged version.
Librarian: "Are you sure?"
Olivia: "Yes"
Librarian: "We have the sound recording, if that might help. Tell me when I get the book down for you if it's too big."
Olivia: "It won't be."
She now says she wishes she had said, "I'm small, not stupid!" Granted, she is small for her age, but the thing that bothers me about this exchange between librarian and patron is that the librarian repeatedly discouraged her from reading the unabridged version. If a child is willing to read difficult material, why wouldn't we let them? If it truly is too difficult for her, she will stop reading it and move on to another book, but if it isn't, how much more would she gain by reading the entire book, as written by the brilliant author?
It also bothers me that it is apparently so unusual for children to read big books that the librarian actually questions her ability to read a big book.
P.S. She read the whole 466-page book and LOVED it!
*Although this was an example of very nice customer service, it would have actually been more helpful to teach her how to use the computer search fields than to look it up for her.
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