Have you heard about the 8 year old Canadian girl who was told by a bus driver she may no longer read books on her bus ride home from school? Yep. Not even kidding. Apparently he thinks it's dangerous.

He claims that it could be harmful to other students because they might want to see what she's looking at. They might even stand up to get a closer look. Shoot, she might even poke her eye out if he has to slam on the brakes and the book nails her in the eye. Seriously. I'm not making this up, folks. Check it out here.

Sounds like a bunch of nandy-pandy nonsense to me, but it did get me to thinking . . . is it ever a problem to stick your nose in a book?

Top 3 Dangers of Reading

Loss of Innocence
There have been times when I've picked up a book without vetting it first, and in this day and age, that's a bad idea. Graphic scenes can never be un-read once you've allowed them into your brain. It's always a good idea to consider what you're going to read before you read it.

Radical Escapism
Sure, every book you read pulls you away from reality for awhile. At least it should. That's the job of an author. But radical escapism is more like an addiction. It's using books to medicate, to run away from life's problems. Granted, this isn't very common, but it is a danger for some.

The Mr. Darcy Syndrome
What red-blooded woman wouldn't want a Mr. Darcy in her life? That's not a danger. That's a desire! The problem comes in when fictional characters become the standard for real-world relationships. Newsflash: Darcy was a made up dude. Expecting humans to measure up to characters puts unrealistic expectations on them, which leads to disappointment, and ultimately to broken relationships.

Now that you know the dangers, slap on a helmet and be safe out there, kids.