I am also really selective with what my kids see & read, & I agree that you should discuss your concerns with the teacher. He or she may allow your child to read a substitute. I wish the faith was taught even more at my kids Catholic school, too, but I think the teachers have a really tough job. Many of the parents are very secular & are only interested in maintaining the highest academic standards, & the teachers have to find books that appeal to boys & girls with varying interests, skills & attention spans. They have a huge job & need our prayers!
My girls had to read Hatchett recently when they were going into 5th, also. I was also concerned & thought it was very graphic for my kids (they are VERY sensitive & easily scared & upset by violence), as well as being pretty dark & heavy. I think it would be better for 7th ot 8th graders. My oldest was just starting at this Catholic school, though, so I was too hesitant to discuss it with her teacher. I read the book with both of my girls, though. I read the chapters that were more graphic & left out the parts that would be most upsetting to them, & discussed things that concerned me.
I share your concerns, but I did think the book had some redeeming qualities. To clarify, I get frustrated with people who excuse all kinds of inappropriate & immoral actions in books & movies because it is of literary merit or has teaching points. That said, to me, this book did not sink to that level. When I read it, I was beginning to sense that life was getting more & more difficult & feared it would get worse. I liked that this book shows that kids can overcome hardships & survive just about anything. It is secular, but I think we do need to teach them that not everyone believes & lives as we do.
I think you could have an opportunity here. If you read the book with your child, you could frequently point out how having faith in God would have helped him. Regular prayer would have added to the routine of his day, & a frequent dialogue with God throughout his day would have eased his depression & isolation. For secular & religious reasons, I wish the scene of him hurting himself was ommitted. I don’t think he necessarily sinned, though. Suicide is not always a sin, & we can see this boy went through incredibly difficult things. Anyone, even with a strong faith, could be tempted toward despair in his shoes. This would be another great opportunity to discuss with your child how Jesus could have helped our character. It could really demonstrate to her what a priceless gift you & God have given her with her faith!
I think sin & evil can be presented in books as long as it is seen clearly as evil, & if lessons are learned by the character & the reader (within reason, of course, I’m not advocating allowing them to read about ANY kind of sin or evil). I think this is mostly a good boy, though, who is in traumatic cirumstances. Not knowing how to pray & being incredibly depressed are not sinful. You could discuss with your daughter that this is exactly the kind of person that we can reach & help with our loving example of how Christ helps us.
There are a number of things my kids are not allowed to see or read. I think I am considered too strict when it comes to media. I did allow this book, but, ultimately, you know your child best & need to decide. I’m sorry to be so wordy, I just wanted to let you know what I thought after reading the book. Good luck, & may God bless you for your concern!
Originally, that’s a good thing, but once you get to a certain chapter, you start to learn very frightening things. That’s when the questioning starts.