The library where I often read books, decided to start on a project in which fantasy/sci-fi/mystery books that have in them sections that are inappropriate for kids, will get a sticker on it marking it for age 16 and up. So if you read any books in the above genre's, can you please post and tell me whether you think it should get the sticker or not.

Hi Leppi,
I haven't read that many books in the genres you mention, and certainly not in that age group for a long time.

However, it isn't unusual for libraries to label books in this way. I wasn't sure if you were saying that under 16s are allowed to borrow the books that are labelled in this way, or not ?

At the library where I work, we have several catagories of books in juvenile fiction, and I think our equivalent of the 16+ sticker you mention, is what we would label "Young Adult".

Now, there are several reasons for this system.
These include things such as more mature themes like dating, more violence, and a higher level of vocabulary.

I should add though, that we have a completely "open" policy when it comes to borrowing books. In theory if a teen or pre-teen comes in with a library card, they can borrow absolutely anything that an adult can.

It is very difficult, as a librarian to censor what children should read. I don't think it is our job to do that.
What is inappropriate reading material in one family, might be perfectly acceptable in another.
Choosing books, whether it be at a library or a bookstore, is something that does require a certain amount of supervision from parents.
I personally think it should be the parents' responsibility to keep an eye on what their children are reading, in the same way that they monitor, to a certain extent, what movies they are watching.

The library I go to is a very small library, and therefore for example all the fantasy and sci-fi are on one bookself, from about a 5th grade reading level and up. This is just as a way for ten year old who want on thier own to sensor thier books to be able to.

Children don't tend to self-censor their reading Leppi.
They pick things that are interesting to them at the level of reading they are at. Their choices have less to do with what we see as appropriate for a 10 year old, than what they see as interesting, and just a good read. They pick books in much the same way we do as adults.

I think some people might be surprised at what teens and pre teens are reading under the label "Young Adult" fiction.

Have a look at Rainbow Party by Paul Ruditis, recommended for grade 9 and up. This is from Amazon:

"Promiscuous sophomore Gin is throwing a "Rainbow Party," at which girls "put on a different color lipstick, and the guys all drop their pants." In theory, after the girls perform oral sex on the boys, they would be left with rainbows around their penises. The author takes the perspective of Gin and her invitees in the hours before her after-school party. They all have reasons for going (Sandy hopes to find love, virgin Brick is being pressured by his friend to gain sexual experience, and there are rumors that Perry is gay)—and their own anxieties, too. This debut novel takes a steamy premise, and adds in plenty of racy material, too, including oral sex between two boys in a school bathroom, but while the author makes a compelling argument against abstinence-only education and also against limited definitions of sex, readers may tire of the standard-issue characters. They may also start to cringe every time a character talks about oral sex not really being sex. There is some important information to be gleaned here (Gin and Perry have mysterious sore throats, and Hunter notices a "burning sensation" when he urinates; later they learn of a gonorrhea outbreak among the sophomore class), but in the end, the story here is not as compelling as its premise. Ages 14-up. (June)"

This is just one in a long list of such books that teens and preteens find fascinating.
Children really don't self-censor their reading.

Hey, I'm not a prude by any means, and if I were a teen again I know I'd rather pick up something like Rainbow Party than Pride and Prejudice.
As I said, it's up to parents to take responsibility for what their children are reading, and not just assume that because it's on a library shelf, or a book store, and marked "Young Adult" it is something they would want their children to read.

The wholesome era of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew is long gone.