The Golden Compass

[OICU812]

I highly recommend reading The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman before the movie comes out.
It's an awesome adventure and a real page turner. There are 2 follow up books, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
You can get all 3 in one for a great price !..

check it out.

[delbowz]

The author of this series, Phillip Pullman is an avowed athesit, who has claimed in an interview that these books are "about killing God". 

Not suggesting you censure these books or start a campaign aginst the movie, but some parents out there may want to see the movie or read the entire series (which I have not done) before starting the children on them.

Denise

[Count DMC]

Pullman is a nut and that book sucked.

[rbain]

Pullman's thesis is a little more nuanced than you describe, but it is clearly a metaphorical indictment of patriarchal organized religion. It is not, however, anti spirituality. His target is hypocracy and abuse of power in religion- an example of this is the way the religious authority attempts to sever people from their souls. He clearly acknowledges the soul, but thinks the religious authority seeks harm it.

I enjoyed the series greatly while recognizing how potentially upsetting it would be to those who take religious authority (as opposed to personal spirituality) too seriously. There are many points where the devout reader might put down the book, and never reach the denoument tying up the threads of implied heresy.

If you believe in a religious heirarchy endowed by God with wisdom and authority, this series may (and probably should) upset you. If you believe authority is to be questioned and hypocracy exposed, you might enjoy it. It's a pretty fun adventure.

-Rob