Do you let your kids read series books?

[Jenny in GA]

I'm very new to WTM; haven't even read the entire thing.

 

I noticed in one section it said they were strongly opposed to kids' reading series books like Sweet Valley High and so forth. Their reasoning (as I understand it) is that it will make them develop a taste for junky writing, so to speak, and they won't ever want to read something more difficult, or more well-written.

 

I was curious what you guys have experienced with that. I have always heard (and believed) that the more you read, the better you get at it, regardless of whether it's "great literature" or not. I'd always heard that they "get bored and move on" when they're ready.

 

My oldest child is 8 and she has read almost nothing but series books. She read about 33 of the Magic Tree House books, then some "Rainbow Faires" things, and now she is reading the Tinkerbell books.

 

What do you think?

[mommyto3]

I like the Magic Treehouse books because I think they are educational. Ds7 is currently reading through all the Hardy Boys books that we have. I think it's better to judge each series separately rather than lump everything together.

[hsmom3tn]

My girls have read plenty of series books and they still like to read the good stuff, too. They especially loved the Rainbow Magic books when they were 7-8 years old. My son has never really enjoyed reading. I have to force him to read anything. The only books that he has read without any persuasion from me were the Percy Jackson series. He LOVED those.

[Ginevra]

With my oldest child, I was very against simplistic series books for a while. My second child changed my mind on the matter, because he was not a proficient, early reader. It was a big boost to his confidence to be able to read a "real" chapter book himself. I realized it was better for him to read through series like Magic Treehouse (even though I loathe the simplistic writing) than to read nothing because he can't cope with C.S. Lewis. At this point, he reads C.S. Lewis, too, but I am fine with him reading simple series books for his own pleasure if that's what he wants. He really likes the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and has been eating them up.

 

I understand the thinking expressed by SWB, but for us, it just didn't work out in a practical way. They will eventually be reading challenging books because I require it in our schoolwork. If they want to read simple books for pleasure, I don't mind. I don't continually read at the top of my ability. After I've been reading something challenging and cerebral, my next book may be simpler, just so I can relax a bit.

[Mommyfaithe]

Depends on the series...Sweet Valley High...or Goosebumps...NO WAY!

 

Lemony Snickett...Ramona the Pest.....Little House on the Prairie...Little Britches...Hentys....Elsie Dinsmore...American Girl...Magic Tree House....Time Warp Trio...Magic School Bus...etc...

My dd even read Junie B. Jones until she figured out how dopey she was.

 

 

Do we read series??

A RESOUNDING YES!!!!

 

Thses types of books kept my kids rreading and improved their reading skilss tremendously.

 

Ummmm...I have read the entire Ender's Game series...and I am loving a few Trilogies...so I read series of books too. Just stay way from twaddly non-sense.

[Parrothead]

Dd has read the Magic Treehouse series, the Disney Fairies books, The Sister's Grimm (and eagerly awaiting the next installment), some of the Boxcar Children. She has also read age appropriate Beowulf, the Odyssey, Little Women, etc.

 

I think of the Sweetvalley High reference as a warning to avoid teen romance type books and the Goosebumps lot.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

My girl reads loads of series book, that is, books with sequels. If "series books" specifically means junk, then, no.

 

She's read Anne of Green Gables -- several times.

Narnia books -- hundreds of times

She's currently reading a series about the daughter of Patrick Henry.

Redwall

oh, my, how could I almost forget . . . She loved The Boxcar Children, years ago.

lord of the rings -- hundreds and hundres of times

gregor the overlander -- yikes, probably would wait on those if I had it to do over.

nancy drew

hardy boys

little house

american girl -- some of them.

maid of . . . new orleans, boston, et c.

 

I just know there are loads more. I just can't think of them now.

Personally, I consider Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Gregor, and the Boxcar Children as junkie as I care to let her get.

[Jenny in GA]

Depends on the series...Sweet Valley High...or Goosebumps...NO WAY!

 

Lemony Snickett...Ramona the Pest.....Little House on the Prairie...Little Britches...Hentys....Elsie Dinsmore...American Girl...Magic Tree House....Time Warp Trio...Magic School Bus...etc...

My dd even read Junie B. Jones until she figured out how dopey she was.

 

 

Do we read series??

A RESOUNDING YES!!!!

 

Thses types of books kept my kids rreading and improved their reading skilss tremendously.

 

Ummmm...I have read the entire Ender's Game series...and I am loving a few Trilogies...so I read series of books too. Just stay way from twaddly non-sense.

 

 

Oh whoops, maybe "series" isn't the best way to describe them. I don't mean stuff like Little House and Ramona, which I think are excellent.

 

I guess maybe a better way to put it is "mass-produced series" that many people would consider to be "drivel" or "twaddle." I think WTM specifically mentioned SVH and Goosebumps to be ones they are strongly against.

 

OP

[WeeBeaks]

Goosebumps - no. Though grandma gave him one (not realizing) and he hated it anyway. Said it was "poorly written" ... if a 7yo says that you know it is bad. LOL

 

Most other series, pretty much. He tends to pick decent ones, many of the ones already mentioned. He reads Time Warp Trio, Hardy Boys, read all the Magic Treehouse, the Percy Jackson Olympians 6-book series, 39 Clues, A to Z mysteries (he is not as fond lately of that one). I do not mind those. I too honestly tend towards some really deeper selections and then some "fluff," meaning a lighter contemporary fiction.

[Chris in VA]

Going with your definition above, no, I don't let dd read series books.

 

Except--

Nancy Drew (only the old ones), Boxcar Children (again, just the originals) and Magic Treehouse (when she was 6-8). She also reads Sisters Grimm, but they aren't anything at all like Goosebumps or SVH.

 

After she spent a year in school (or, during that year), she tended to want to read easier books. They had a book box at their feet by their desks--everyone chose two or three books that they could read if they finished early, or during their silent reading time. The teacher did not want her to bring books from home, and the books in the classroom were way below her level, and most were on the twaddly side. So she spent half an hour or so everyday reading twaddle. Did it dumb her down? IDK, but she had a harder time getting into the rich language of new, classic books this year. Her old favorites were still favorites, but she preferred to re-read those rather than tackle new ones.

[hsmom3tn]

Oh whoops, maybe "series" isn't the best way to describe them. I don't mean stuff like Little House and Ramona, which I think are excellent.

 

I guess maybe a better way to put it is "mass-produced series" that many people would consider to be "drivel" or "twaddle." I think WTM specifically mentioned SVH and Goosebumps to be ones they are strongly against.

 

OP

 

Well, my son did read some of the Goosebumps books when he was younger. I had so much trouble getting him to read anything, I just let him read what he was interested in. For a while, he liked anything that was gross or scary. He quickly outgrew it, though, and I don't regret letting him read it. My girls used to read Junie B Jones, too. They had a few laughs and got over it. It was twaddle, but these books helped them to become better/more fluent readers at a time when they had absolutely no interest in reading "the good stuff". Now they recognize better quality literature and prefer to read that (well, I'm still working on my son, LOL).

 

P.S. - I read twaddle sometimes, too. :D

[Heather in OK]

I do not allow the "drivel" or "twaddle".

[Mommyfaithe]

Oh whoops, maybe "series" isn't the best way to describe them. I don't mean stuff like Little House and Ramona, which I think are excellent.

 

I guess maybe a better way to put it is "mass-produced series" that many people would consider to be "drivel" or "twaddle." I think WTM specifically mentioned SVH and Goosebumps to be ones they are strongly against.

 

OP

 

oh....no...we don't read those. Too many good books to waste time on drivel.

[Impish]

A series isn't a bad thing. Little House is a series. Anne of Green Gables is a series. As is Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes...

 

Its the quality of the series that is the thing ;)

[jujsky]

I think as long as kids are reading, it doesn't matter what they're reading. I read all the Sweet Valley/Baby-Sitters Club books growing up, yet I also read Johnny Tremain, Gone With The Wind, Treasure Island (NOT the abridged version either), Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys, all of the Anne of Green Gables books, and many other classics before I was out of jr. high. I think that sparking the love of reading is the important thing. The rest will follow.

[RoughCollie]

All of my kids read plenty of series books when they were younger. I let them read anything they wanted.

 

DD loved the Magic Treehouse books, Babysitter's Club little sister Karen books, and the Betsy books by Carolyn Haywood. The boys loved Goosebumps and Captain Underpants, and virtually every other series book written for boys who were in elementary school.

[Tree House Academy]

My older son reads some series - he has read Charlie Bone, Artemis Fowl, and Percy Jackson. He read a good number of the Magic Tree House books and Horrible Harry books when he was younger. He also wants to read the Harry Potter series when he is a bit older.

[HSMom2One]

I'm with the others, no drivel or twaddle -- but there are some REALLY great books out there that are written in series form. Right now dd is hooked on the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. She's also ready some of the Frank Peretti (The Veritas Project) books, Little House books, the Narnia series, Anne of Green Gables, Thoroughbred series by Joanna Campbell, almost all of the Nancy Drew books, and so on.

 

Sometimes kids learn to love to read by getting caught up in a series of books. For us, this is especially true during the winter and we spend so much time indoors. It also occurs to me that kids are most often influenced by the type of books they see their parents reading or that parents encourage them to read.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[luvbnhome2]

I do not let my kids read too much of what I consider to be "fluff". I feel like that if they are exposed to such easy, mindless reads, it sets up a precedence for what they will be interested in for life. I was allowed to read whatever I wanted as a child, and was never exposed to stimulating literature(aside from what I "had" to read for school) until my dh and I began dating when I was 17. Thankfully, my mil is an intellectual, and helped me to expand my repertoire. There are so many great reads out there, I guess I feel like it is such a waste of time to read drivel. Not to say that they do not enjoy lighter reads occasionally~sometimes we all prefer something that is just an easy read. I will say that most of our reading is done with me reading aloud to them, which makes it easier for them to enjoy the classics!

[mellifera]

I limit the amount of series books dc can check out from the library. I do let them read series books, but they have to read other books too. I figure it's ok as long as that's not all dc are reading.

[nd293]

It's already been said, but I'll repeat: there are good series and rubbish. Magic Tree House and Roman Mysteries have been wonderful additions to our history studies. The Rainbow Fairies series is not getting my vote as great literature, but yes, dd9 has read some of them. There are others I will strongly discourage, if she asks. I think the concern is that the "twaddle" becomes all that the child reads - this would certainly limit the opportunity for the development of reading skills.

 

How to move out of the "series phase" if the child is stuck there? I'd look for better series, but try for the trilogy type, rather than the churn-'em-out type. Dd has been introduced to some good books through audio books. She'll listen to pretty much anything I provide her with in audio format. I can then "stumble across" other books by the same author in the library.

[nukeswife]

I'm one of those oddballs that really dislikes the word "twaddle" I think every book can have it's merits at the right time. My oldest son was not a bookworm until recently. Until 4th grade just to get him to read a Magic Tree House or Magic School bus book was a major ordeal. This year I bought a bunch of books which not all, but many may consider drivel or twaddle. I bought him the Harry Potter Series, the Percy Jackson series and many other I read long ago in jr. high, like the 'choose your own adventure books' I told him I didn't care how many he got through or which ones he read, but that he had to read for at least 20 minutes everyday. He picked The Lightening Thief, the first in the Percy Jackson series, as his first book, well it's now about 5 months later and he's just finished the entire series of 5 books. It's made him realize how much fun reading can be, he really got into them. He finished book 5 on Sunday and then read the entire Magic School Bus and the Penguin Puzzle on Monday. He's gone from a "why do I have to read" kid to a "Mom, what can I read now" kid. I'm not so sure that if I'd given him only classics that he'd be at this point.

 

I know I read for pleasure, not just because I need something to expand my mind or make me think. Most of the time it's just for fun. I'm actually about to start the 5th Percy Jackson book because my son was so excited about them, I started reading them. Are they great literature, maybe not by the conventional definition, but to me they sure are because they made my son love reading.

[Peela]

I think you can carefully wean a cihld off junk reading and onto healthier stuff just by making sure it is around. When we first started homeschooling my dd was 9 and she loved Goosebumps books- all the kids at school were reading them. Ds who was then 7 wanted to read them too and started collecting them even though he could barely read. They were the only books I actually banned and got rid of...but I didnt do it before I had substituted them with plenty of better quality reading that they were enjoying.

I grew up on Enid Blyton books and while they may not pass the twaddle test, they did get me reading a lot and they were emotionally fulfilling for me. I wouldnt get too rigid about it...but be aware of what goes into your child's brain and just look for better books that will still appeal.

[Desert Rat]

It has always been my opinion that there is room in life for all sorts of variety. Just as I wouldn't allow my kids to eat a diet of all candy, neither do I deny them the occassional treat. I walk the middle path. We read classics. We read "garbage." There's time enough for a bit of everything.

I personally love series. I love Twilight, Sookie, Anne Rice, Mercy Thompson. I love seeing characters again as I enjoy meeting old friends. My boys love series for this reason too.

[abbeyej]

Some I consider harmful. We avoid those. But others? I consider them like lollipops or sugary cereal -- not every day (or even every week) things, but every now and then? Balanced by nourishing daily fare? Yes, I'll allow them. Reading those things on occasion alongside a more regular diet of "real" books means that my kids have each come to me individually and said, "Wow! All of these [whatever series] books are the same!" And in some cases they've been able to give me a pretty good plot outline for how *all* of the books work. At times they've said that and, "But, I still like to read them..." ;) And at other times, that has been the end of a particular series.

 

I avoid series that glorify behavior or language that I consider inappropriate (either generally or for my kids' ages)... I don't allow scatalogical humor...

 

But if we're talking about series that are just fluffy, predictable, simplistically written...? Yeah, about as often as I'd allow junk food vs whole grains and veggies...

[Aubrey]

WTM rec's avoiding series such as SVH & Goosebumps, *but* the activity guides for SOTW rec books in the Time Warp & Magic Tree House series. So even SWB thinks there are good & bad series.

[IsabelC]

I wouldn't actually forbid any type of book, because I want to encourage reading of any kind and I don't want to dictate to my children what their taste should be. But I'll certainly be strongly encouraging them to try both things that I consider 'good' books and things that will challenge them. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with some light reading interspersed with the more substantial stuff. I have been known to spend a week reading through 30 Agatha Christie books in quick succession, and it didn't impair my ability to read Dostoyevsky the next week :) As to how to influence the kids, we'll probably work mainly on the principle of They Read What's Around :D And I do agree that some of the series' around aren't particularly good. My 7yo niece had a book that seemed to be about nothing but how important it is to get a boy to kiss you - sheesh [clucks with boring old parents' disapproval].

Edited January 15, 2010 by Hotdrink

[angela in ohio]

Children will speak and write what they read and hear. So if they read books with short, poorly written sentence structure, that is what they will write (and possibly speak.)

 

It's also hard to turn someone on to spinach when they've eaten nothing but chocolate.

 

Like a PP said, though, just being a series doesn't disqualify a book. It is more about the type of book that it is.

 

When you're reading a junk book, you're not reading some other book that might have been more worthwhile.