I love movies and I love going to see movies at the theater. But there's a children's movie coming out soon that I want you to know about. "The Golden Compass" is based on a series of books by author and self-described atheist Philip Pullman. Now, I haven't seen the movie or read the book. I did read this article a few weeks ago, in which claims are made that the movie has been toned down, the danger being that unknowing parents will then let their children read the book, which is far darker.
Jackie McMahan, a dear friend and middle school lit teacher, read the book recently, and here are her thoughts, printed with permission:
"I found it to be one of the most disturbing/terrifying children's books I have ever read and not just from the theological standpoint (which was so heavy that no child would be able to muddle through that) but from the plot and descriptions itself. It was scary stuff and so dark, bitter, and angry -- there was no happy ending or triumph of good over evil in that book... Not to give away any major plot points, but there are these people called Gobblers that steal children and then take them to the North to do terrible things to them in a laboratory (in essence, ripping their souls away from them -- since it is a fantasy novel, their souls are personified into these little animal companions with names), leaving them ghost-like shells that eventually die -- and at one point, a child gets sacrificed by someone you think is a good guy. There is a terribly gruesome scene where two polar bears fight and the gore and description turned my stomach. It was all just disturbing to me."
Now you know what your child will experience if you let him or her read the book. As for my family, this is one book, and one movie, that we'll skip.
