1. I am 14, and I have read this book many times. No, I definitely do not think this passage is too graphic for its targeted audience. The author was obviously trying to put across the point that, the perfect world is not always so perfect, it is created on a foundation of lies, deceit, and cruelty. Horrible things happen all over the world, and while it is completely unnecessary to be educated on all points of these events, why would you try to hide the truth from someone, no matter what age?
2. No, I do not. I have seen books banned or challenged for much less, such as the Captain Underpants books, Huckleberry Finn and Gone With the Wind, simply based on someones decision that the thinking was somehow inappropriate. Euthanasia is a widely debated topic, and will probably always continue to be, but, whether we decide to face it or not is up to us. Do we really want to hide away from all the bad things in life, or accept them?
3. Probably, but then again, this is not a young children's book, this is a book aimed at an older age group, 12+.
4. Why should it not be? Death is the end, and every story must have an end. Every day you live your life, you are closer to dying, and there is not one thing we can do to stop it.
5. On this point, I don't think that children need to receive a sexual education at a young age, such as 5 or 6. However, I do think that every child must be taught it eventually, for ignorance is not always bliss, it can actually cause problems when misunderstandings occur, but yes, I think this is not something children should not really be sucsepted to at a very young age.
Euthanasia. Oh boy, you chose a good one. Every issue or problem has two sides, and I do agree with both. However, I must argue pro-Euthanasia. If you ever heard of the case of Tracy Latimer, you would understand why. Tracy Latimer was a young girl suffering from a sever case of cerebral palsy due to a lack of oxygen at birth. Unable for her paint o be controlled by medication, Tracy lived a very painful and limited life, unable to communicate, feed herself, or go to the bathroom without assistance. In October of 1993, Tracy's father, Robert, was accused of murdering his daughter. Some people may call his actions cruel and unnecessary, as Tracy was loved by her parents and her life had value. But I say what value can a person's life have when they can't feed themselves, can't talk, are fed through a tube in their stomach, and will never have the opportunity at a normal life? Who has the authority to decide whether or not someone's life is worth living better than the man that raised her and watched her suffering day in and day out? Bravo to the man who finally faced reality and showed some mercy on his poor vegetable of a daughter. Did he do it cruelly? No. He sat his sleeping daughter in his truck and filled it with carbon monoxide, killing his daughter peacefully and painlessly. As hard as it must have been to raise his daughter on a limited budget and watch her suffer everyday, it truly must have been ten times harder to finally let her go.
Think about it. Would you, the father/mother of a child, be willing to sit back and watch your son or daughter suffer and know that you could never do anything about it, never even have the luxury of easing your child's pain with medicine? For keeping someone alive who's life no longer has any meaning or value is not showing kindness or compassion for the handicapped, it is cruel no matter how you look at it.