Good point. I’ve read the books a couple of times and I don’t think 8th graders are ready for it on a number of levels. More appropriate for high school juniors and seniors because of some sexuality, language and the nuanced use of different cartoon animals and subtle meanings. I have no problem with what the school board did.
Some kids have been protected to the point that this would be their first shove into the fact that there are some very evil people in the world.
But there are the other kids that are way to aware that there are evil people in the world and until they have a little more time and distance to deal with what happened to them bringing it up is not good.
Which is why I would say this kind of thing should be a consult with the parents time.
Some of the kids are ready, some are not.
We are all individuals.