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Original poster

Is the wimpy kid series suitable for 6-7 year olds?

13 replies

WimpiestMum · 07/11/2023 10:31

DD absolutely loves these books and keeps reading them again and again. I'd previously looked at a few pages and it seemed all pretty harmless.

However, I actually read a few days ago the first chapter of the first book and it talks a lot about "getting girls". Nothing super inappropriate but just stuff about what the protagonists thinks will get you girls. By getting I think he means impressing girls or making them like you. I know a lot of teenagers will think like that (and certainly me and all of my friends did as teenagers) but in retrospection I do think it's quite a stupid and sexist notion that you should change your behaviour or do something to impress the opposite sex in particular. If DD was a teenager then she would have come across this stuff else where anyway but not as a 7 year old?

Also, is there anything else that's not age appropriate in the book? Or any other outdated stereotypes or attitudes it perpetuates?

DD has already read the entire first series (several times) so there's nothing I can do about that anymore but maybe I should vet more carefully what she reads from now on.

OP posts:
Original poster
WimpiestMum · 07/11/2023 10:36

So just to add I'd looked up the age rating previously and it said from 8 years old but in the reviews the topics it listed sounded good, like bullying, being popular, etc. even if it did talk about boy being popular with girls and vice versa I guess I'd prefer it it was a bit more nuanced but then maybe the wimpy kid series doesn't allow for much nuance. It just kind of states how he regrets that he isn't "getting the girls" inspite of being on their side usually or what other boys do that do get them.

OP posts:
wtftodo · 07/11/2023 10:38

My 7yo is just reading these. Her older sister read the whole series aged 7/8 in y2/3. I have to confess I didn't check content beyond looking at Common Sense Media. Usually when I have worried about a book's themes etc and read ahead I've been reassured that the book works through it in a useful way. The exception being David Walliams books, which I disappeared from our house after reading ahead...

JustJoinedRightNow · 07/11/2023 10:39

Do you mean your DD has read them all? There isn't a first or second series of these books. My 10yo son is reading them right now.
I guess it's quite American, and the kids are in middle school which is about the time children start getting crushes and things like that. It all seems pretty harmless to me, I've read a couple and check in every so often with pages he's reading.

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wtftodo · 07/11/2023 10:39

I remember my older child talking about how the main characters perspective is different from other characters' - I was surprised by her insight though tbh this could be from the films! In any case some of the books are written from a different perspective so I think that helps.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 07/11/2023 10:41

I don't worry about the girls thing, because there is zero chance of Greg ever getting any girls Grin

My son is reading them at 8. There are some things in there that make me think hmmm, but they don't even seem to register with my son.

MeinKraft · 07/11/2023 10:47

I wouldn't worry about this, getting a girlfriend or boyfriend is something that's discussed at school anyway. Choosing a classmate to marry was all the rage when my DS was only 5!

Original poster
WimpiestMum · 07/11/2023 10:49

JustJoinedRightNow · 07/11/2023 10:39

Do you mean your DD has read them all? There isn't a first or second series of these books. My 10yo son is reading them right now.
I guess it's quite American, and the kids are in middle school which is about the time children start getting crushes and things like that. It all seems pretty harmless to me, I've read a couple and check in every so often with pages he's reading.

She's read 12 of them I think. Not all. But they came in a box set so I thought maybe that's the first series.

OP posts:
ForeverYellow · 07/11/2023 10:54

My son is 8 and loves them . It’s the first time he has actually shown such an interest in reading so I am happy . I have listened to the audio book of 3 of them during the school run and he reads to me in the evenings . Greg is starting middle school so is in an older age group than Ds but I have not found anything that I find inappropriate for him to read about .

Needmorelego · 07/11/2023 10:57

Reading level is fine but Greg is in Middle School (American middle school so ages 11-14) so a 7 year old might not know what some bits mean.
But I know loads of children age 7/8 who have read them and seem to enjoy them.
Maybe try Tom Gates books instead. They are British and Tom is around age 9 as he is in Year 5.

AutumnNamechange · 07/11/2023 13:34

These are the books that got finally DS into reading this year (he is 6), now he is a complete bookworm, so I am a big fan of them. As a PP said there is little to no chance of Greg Heffley getting a girlfriend anyway, so there wont be any age inappropriate content. Have you also tried the 13 story tree house books, they are in a similar vein I believe..

Original poster
WimpiestMum · 08/11/2023 11:40

AutumnNamechange · 07/11/2023 13:34

These are the books that got finally DS into reading this year (he is 6), now he is a complete bookworm, so I am a big fan of them. As a PP said there is little to no chance of Greg Heffley getting a girlfriend anyway, so there wont be any age inappropriate content. Have you also tried the 13 story tree house books, they are in a similar vein I believe..

Thanks for the suggestion..I'll try them..

OP posts:
Original poster
WimpiestMum · 08/11/2023 11:45

Needmorelego · 07/11/2023 10:57

Reading level is fine but Greg is in Middle School (American middle school so ages 11-14) so a 7 year old might not know what some bits mean.
But I know loads of children age 7/8 who have read them and seem to enjoy them.
Maybe try Tom Gates books instead. They are British and Tom is around age 9 as he is in Year 5.

Haha yes, my daughter asked me the other day while reading one of the wimpy kid books what "willies" are.

I was just going to explain that willy is just a slang word for penis but did wonder why the book talks about penises at all so asked her to have a look. The sentence was:

"That really gave me the willies!"

(Not sure if the phrase is of British or American origin though)

OP posts:
Needmorelego · 08/11/2023 11:48

@WimpiestMum yeah that's more of an American phrase I think for being scared 😂

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