Vanna Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 If you have assigned Diary of Anne Frank as required reading, what grade did you assign it? What edition of the book did your child(ren) read? (You can also post if you read it as a child and remember the edition.) I'm looking at my library's website and didn't realize there were so many to choose from! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 I read the Definitive edition as an adult and it included a lot of things not in the edition I read as a kid, (not sure what that one is called). I would give the definitive edition to my teen no problem, but not to an 11 year old, which is how old I was when I read the regular edition. The definitive edition had more about Anne's awakening sexual feelings and her negative feelings toward her mother- all totally normal things, but it added a layer of complexity to an already intense book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skueppers Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 I believe I first read the Diary of Anne Frank when I was in the fifth grade (age 9-10). It would have been the original English translation, not one of the more recent versions, as those hadn't been published yet. I chose to read it because of my interest in the Holocaust; it wasn't assigned reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 DO be careful! Anne writes very openly (though it is fairly brief and contained in 2 entries and towards the end) of sexuality/sexual longing. And the reasons WHY her family are in hiding are going to be rough going for a sensitive child. JMO, but I don't think this is a "must read" for anyone below high school, and then it may really be more of a "girl book". We read it aloud (2 DSs) in gr. 9/10 -- and I just skipped those 2 entries. While we did have a few good conversations in general (WW2, Jews in hiding, occupation of Denmark by Germany, what would you do, etc.), the boys did express they didn't care for the book at all -- they just did not connect with a teen girl's emotions. We read the Bantam Book/Doubleday version, first copyrighted in 1952 by Otto Frank (Anne's father). The photos are a great addition. BEST of luck, whatever you decide. Warmly, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 I really can't remember the grade. I would have guessed 7th grade except I didn't go to 7th grade (except 7 days, but...). So it wasn't that. It had to have been the winter of 8th grade (I didn't go to first semester and I vaguely remember something about the school that makes me think it was the first school I went to in the 2nd half of 8th grade). Anyway, the one I read and the one read by my children (middle school also) was the one Lori linked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 I read it when I was about 10 years old, my eldest read it around that age too, and my middle a year or two later (this past academic year). Both I at that age and they read the full, uncensored version. I worked with what they could and did understood, and gently ignored what they didn't; I suppose I was more concerned with parts regarding Anne's sexual awakening rather than holocaust (being that it was a rather familiar topic for them by then and they had heard a lot about it and studied it briefly). Personally I consider Anne's diary to be an upper middle school reading. Levi, on the other hand (another holocaust classic taught in Italy), is more of a high school reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Personally I consider Anne's diary to be an upper middle school reading. Levi, on the other hand (another holocaust classic taught in Italy), is more of a high school reading. My fourth grade teacher read us Diary of Anne Frank in class. I don't know how much she censored. It sent me reading about the Holocaust and WWII ... through college. We didn't have Levi until college (Survival at Auschwitz). Night is good in high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tampamommy Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 DS read this in 7th grade. I waited until after he knew about the birds and the bees and was emotionally mature enough to handle discussions regarding the graphic atrocities of the Holocaust. If either of those things haven't occurred, I'd wait until both were in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 My teen read it as a ninth grader. She read the Definitive Edition linked here. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanna Posted October 2, 2010 Author Share Posted October 2, 2010 Wow! Thank you so much for all your comments! I was not aware of what the "definitive version" meant, but after reading your postings I remembered hearing something about Anne's contraversial entries. I'll look for one of the earliest publications if we do go ahead with "Anne." Many thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted October 2, 2010 Share Posted October 2, 2010 Ds read this version in 7th for a co-op assignment. He thought it was the most boring book ever. Too girl-ish for him. Cinder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.