On Death – A Kid’s View

A guest post by my 11 year old daughter, MRValentine.

Death happens to everyone, eventually. Sometimes in books or stories, the death of a character is essential to the plot. But sometimes it bothers me when death in a story is abrupt, violent, or doesn’t need to happen. Doesn’t it bother you? Reasons and examples of deaths that bothered me are included in this article. That’s what it’s about!

Abrupt Death

Abrupt death is one of the things that bothers me in some books. The one that bothered me most was in The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel). One of the characters (and I won’t say who, because it takes a lot of explaining and that would be spoiling) covers their ears while riding a galloping horse, falls off, and dies. It is a character that you get fairly attached to, and you never see it coming. I was so surprised and shocked that I was literally speechless. That is something that rarely happens. I am usually a chatterbox. Things turned out all right though. Another abrupt death is in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. One of the characters is murdered in front of Harry’s eyes. This death didn’t surprise me at all because my parents spoiled it for me and I’m glad they did. But I can see how it would surprise some people.

Violent Death

Death by ouch is one of the ways people die. I say that because when I read about violent death, I say “Ow, that would hurt!” And then I imagine it happening to me. Like I said, OW! One violent death is in George Washington’s Socks. A character that the main ones thought was their only hope falls on his bayonet while getting out of a boat. That death might not even have had to happen. Another death is also in George Washington’s Socks. Some one is really sick. The death itself isn’t violent, but the illness leading up to it is. In the same book, someone is shot. In lots of books people are shot. Violence like that bothers me.

Unnecessary Death

Sometimes death is essential to the plot of a story. But sometimes it isn’t. And when it does happen, it is annoying and sad. In George Washington’s Socks, the character who falls on his bayonet may be the main characters’ ticket home. But what if he didn’t know how to get them home? Then this death might not have had to happen. Also, in Beryl: A Pig’s Tale, a character gets hit by a car. It was so sad that it made me cry. Even worse, it didn’t need to happen. The story would have been much happier if this death did not happen.

Finding Books

Personally, I am tired of death. We just finished our Westward Ho! unit in school in which I lost my two imaginary kids. I have been reading a lot of books with death in them. I need a break. I have been trying to find books with as little death in them as possible. Death is OK sometimes, but I’m sick of it right now.