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Original poster

Thread of assistance for people who find it tricky remaining breezy about the books their dc choose in the library.

139 replies

Slubberdegullion · 04/02/2012 17:28

I want to be breezy.

Reading is great right? Any sort of reading yes? Even books about puppies and unicorns and princess unicorns and boarding schools for unicorn princesses? And RAINBOW FAIRIES. may curses rain down upon you you tiny little winged bastards

I want the benign smiling face of library joy, not the Argh! Nooo! Really? Face, with the hopeful fingering and glances at the Michael Morpogos.

Tips gratefully received.

OP posts:
Original poster
Slubberdegullion · 04/02/2012 18:35

Hahahaha @ hamster in a tiara. Oh yy anything like that is a magnet to the dds.

So Rhonda what were the twins doing age 30?

BackForGood have tried the casual references but so far the draw of the bejewelled hamsters is too strong. I know reading trash is fine but when there are other seemingly better stories out there on the shelves I dunno I just get a bit angsty that they don't even want to try them.

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mrsgboring · 04/02/2012 18:33

They have to own their own reading. They are in charge; they will be crap at it for years and years but they are building up their own reading life. It is the MAIN thing you need to be a reader.

FWIW I read school stories almost exclusively and now have an English degree from Oxford (and am also a librarian [oo nested brackets ] ). I read mostly good stuff now. Lots and lots of it and it's all mine.

Raahh · 04/02/2012 18:29

I sympathise- I hated ds reading 'Horrid Henry'- badly written crap-but it did the job, he got hooked on reading and moved on to the far more appealing 'Mr Gum' series, after which there was no stopping him. Dd1 has just discovered Rainbow fairies too Grin

BackforGood · 04/02/2012 18:21

All reading does not have to be 'worthy'. Let them read all sorts of trash, and then throw in the odd recomendation... "I read this when I was you age, why don't you have a look ?" type thing.

I'll read the odd classic, and have to read documents and reports for work, but I'm still disappointed if there's not a long wait in the Drs or hospital, when I@ve just picked up a trashy magazine Smile

Naoko · 04/02/2012 18:20

Enjoy the fairies while they last. In hindsight I am deeply impressed with my mum's ability to maintain breeziness when I came home from the library with a collection of literary erotica aged 14.

rhondajean · 04/02/2012 18:18

There is now a sweet valley high update book about the twins at thirty and what they all did after school which I most certainly did not pre order on amazon and stay up reading

Lumiya · 04/02/2012 18:16

Unless there is a hamster wearing a tiara on the front cover, dd won't read it. She even admits the books aren't that good, but says that she can't help herself. It's a phase everyone goes through, isnt it?

LanceCorporalBoiledEgg · 04/02/2012 18:13

Sympathies OP.

I felt the same when DD picked a Bratz DVD from the DVD section of our local library.

And then played it every day until it went back.

kreecherlivesupstairs · 04/02/2012 18:07

Too old for sweet valley high, but have patience. Your DC will outgrow the unicorns on princesses with fairies for pets. Honestly.
My DD was obsessed with a mouse called Arthur. I had to ask the school librarian to stop letting her get them out.
She is a voracious reader now.

Original poster
Slubberdegullion · 04/02/2012 18:02

Whoa! Sweet Valley High! [flash back]

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Original poster
Slubberdegullion · 04/02/2012 18:01

Grin @ gorillas.

OK, that is good Alma, about needing to read the rubbish non classics Wink to become more discerning. So this is normal then? The wanting to read variations on a theme of unicorn over and over again? How can I get them to read some more gender neutral stuff? The abundance of glittery covers makes my teeth itch.

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BellaBearisWideAwake · 04/02/2012 17:59

Ha I use to read sweet valley high and the babysitters club from the library. Complete and utter crap but oh so satisfying. And free.

AlmaMartyr · 04/02/2012 17:52

I read utter tripe from the library growing up. We had tonnes of books at home (all good stuff) so at the library I would go nuts. I read the entire stock of Point Horror etc as a teenager. I'm a librarian now, and pretty well read although I still read some trash. I tell myself that reading the rubbish books helps me recognise when something is good. When I worked in the public library I liked overhearing the mums trying to get their DCs to choose something else then talking loudly at the counter about how "of course, we read at home".

BellaBearisWideAwake · 04/02/2012 17:29

DS is just turned four and keeps bringing back My Best Book of Early Man. "Look Mummy, it's a book about naughty gorillas!"