12 year old obsessed with Jacqueline Wilson books.. Aibu to think there is better out there?

I watched the film the story horrified me. From the mum with uncle who was great uncle and dad to his children. The grandmother did not want anything to do with them but I do think she took pity on them. Their mother was wicked trying to kill them off so she she can remarry.

Like a PP, I was reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz at that age, and I don’t think that YA fiction was really a thing.
Not sure that I could say it did me no harm though as I remember sleepless nights imagining Danny Glick at the window.

This.

"That's a very good point! It drives me mad as she's very academic but is just obsessed with J. W.. I was hoping she would be reading more educational books during the summer 😩"

@Breakdancing if you work, do you spend your annual leave doing training courses for your job? Leave her alone to read what she likes. It's a hobby not a job.

And JW is a fantastic who deals with gritty issues that a lot of children face. Reading about the types of challenges that other children can face is important as it teaches children the importance of empathy and understanding.

Just to add, I got A* in both my English literature and language GCSEs during the 90s

So all that Judy Blume and Flowers in the Attic didn't negatively impact me at all!

Although I went on to do science and language A-levels

I read JW to my DDs and thought they were pretty dire. They are now teens and do laugh about the grimness of the story lines.

However I general I don't agree with censoring what kids read.

Mine have moved onto to all sorts from YA books to the classics .

It's best she reads books she enjoys. You can absolutely suggest other books, but this is harmless.

I still have my copies of the Wakefield family saga books. There was two of them, one following the mother’s family and the other the father’s! (Who naturally gave up a lordship in Wakefield, Yorkshire in order to come to America!)

The only thing that matters at 12 is that she's coming back from the library with a stack of books.

WHAT a kid that age reads, as long as it's not Mein Kampf, is less important than the fact that they do. Reading widens and expands the mind, and also teaches sustained concentration. Whatever gives her joy is what matters.

School will give plenty of challenging reading material, too. Let her keep the love and joy in the frame - she will grow up and out of the writer soon enough, but hopefully the halo effect of loving reading will be with her for life.

Such a good point, this is a large reason why I love Jacqueline Wilson. It’s so important for representation and to show children in a range of situations including less than ideal circumstances- this is real life.

I didn’t actually read any of her books until I was an adult working with children who loved her.

I think she’s brilliant and I can see why she’s such a bestseller.

I was reading Stephen King, Christopher Pike and Virginia Andrews when I was 12, so I'd say Jacqueline Wilson is quite tame.

Oh wow 'Flowers in the Attic'!

I read this when in my first year or so at secondary school, it had me hooked it was so dark and basically screwed up, the brother & sister and the twins

Also I read the follow on books but not as good

In summary being a book worm is not a bad thing at all, I read everything I could get my hands on....I turned out ok, I think

I loved Jacqueline Wilson books from younger than that. While they’re not academic I think they’re good for emotional education, yes they can be quite heavy but they teach you about how different peoples lives can be

I think her books are a load of tosh, just like the Walliams type writers.

Bloody hell! Jacqueline Wilson is nothing like the Walliams shite - she can write very readable and engaging sentences as opposed to the ghastly excuse for prose he churns out.

OP, your daughter is probably comfort reading. It’s a nice habit - reading things you love that don’t stretch you much, just for the fun of it.

A JW phase (or Percy Jackson) is nothing to bother about.

BTW has she tried Charlie Fletcher and the Stoneheart books? They’re great, and if nothing else she’ll learn about London 😉

Ha ha, think I was the same age when I read Flowers in the Attic (then all the sequels!).

Is JW really any "worse" than the older Judy Blume books? Asking as the mother of a 12 year old DD who hates books with female protagonists.

YABU. She’s reading, and enjoying them. I read lots of school stories at her age, but also tried Jane Eyre and I shouldn’t have, put me off for a while. Of course there are loads of other authors she could read, and she will, but not right now.

booktrust recognise kids get stuck though: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-features/features/2018/march/what-to-read-after-jacqueline-wilson/#:~:text=Books%20for%20younger%20readers%20in,their%20sparkling%20first%20person%20narrative.

(they do it for other authors too).

She might like the Geek Girl series.

I always suggest Diana Wynne Jones to any voracious reader.

I read all the Jacqueline Wilson books in my early teens, looking back on them now they seem very cringy but I enjoyed reading and still do and I eventually moved on to read all sorts of classics.

LOVED Jacqueline Wilson, I turned out ok…☺️

I think JW is great. I loved reading the Hetty Feather series to DD and it was probably the closest DD (or me!) would get to reading about life in Victoria times. At 12 you want to read something a bit edgy about different life experiences.

I also loved the book Junk by Melvin Burgess that others have mentioned - I wanted to call my future child Lily after the character in the book, as it was still an old-fashioned name then, but by the time I had my DDs years later, Lily had made a comeback and was super popular. Like others I also read Flowers in the Attic and Point Horror as a teen!

I think it's great that she so into reading!

It could be a mobile phone obsession instead, mindlessly scrolling through you tube/whatever

Having said that I don't know the JW books....off to have a search

I was totally into Judy Blume books at a similar age....I remember Forever being passed around the classroom during year 6 (aged 10/11) and reading it goggle eyed

Still can't see the name Ralph without it reminding me

YABU. Firstly burning through entire series of easy reading trash is a great way to get hooked on reading, whether it is Sweet Valley or Goosebumps or the Chalet School (all of which I enjoyed). Secondly, Jacqueline Wilson books are a good way for kids to slightly expand their social understanding without running into anything horrifying. I say that as someone who read Flowers in the Attic at 12 and still wishes I hadn't.

I was also a huge lover of JW as a kid. She covers teen/YA issues in a hugely relatable way and I still find her books a huge source of comfort. For what it’s worth, I’m now an author myself (and relatively good at it) in no small part thanks to reading. I learned everything from it, including the saucier stuff as I was growing up. Don’t discourage it!

It's sad that a lot of authors I read in my childhood have fallen out of favour now, like The Queen's Nose, and Anne Fine's books.

Ha, did we have the same teacher?!