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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not let DD read the Percy Jackson series for the 4th time....?

80 replies

BraveMerida · 15/10/2013 13:58

I mean the whole rick riordan series from Percy Jackson through to the follow on series of the heroes of olympus for the 4th time? I loves them, but I'd rather she reads a wider selection of books.

Is this normal? Wwyd? Dd is 8.

OP posts:
Alisvolatpropiis · 15/10/2013 19:50

I still do that now.

You can be sure that when Winds of Winter is published god knows when I'll reread all the previous books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series first.

mrsjay · 15/10/2013 19:53

brave she is only 8 as she grows a wee bit she will find something else she likes reading you could get her books along the same lines but if it is her favourite stories you can't really deprive her of them

HmmAnOxfordComma · 15/10/2013 19:55

There's nothing wrong with rereading and I agree it's an essential part of becoming a true reader for life...

But, having said that, we have a rule in this house of reading one new book for every reread. As ds has Asperger's and could be inclined to being a little rigid, I encourage him to try new stuff in between.

Michelle Paver's new series The Outsiders, set in Ancient Greece, might appeal to PJ fans like OP's dd.

LifeHuh · 15/10/2013 19:56

YaDefinitelyBU!
Sounds like perfectly normal reader behaviour to me - all the adults I know who are avid readers re-read,and have several books on the go at least part of the time.The people I know who read one book at a time are less keen.That may just be my friends of course,not wanting to say that is true for everyone!
If your DD is a keen reader there is plenty of time for her to read a variety of books and enjoy her favorites again,and again,and....

mrsjay · 15/10/2013 19:58

I think the stories are comforting to them and they just enjoy it of course offer new books inbetween but i do think it is normal to go back to the loved books, I think dd1 has read her Earagon books a few times too,

MissStrawberry · 15/10/2013 20:00

I just don't get it.

We have literally hundreds of books. I have never interfered in what my children read. I carry around wish lists of books they would like so I can get one when I want to treat them. I always buy them books at birthday and Christmas and enjoy seeing their faces when I give them a surprise new book. Any excuse for a new book - distinction at school, being helpful or kind, etc etc. Sometimes no reason at all other than I wanted too.

Retropear · 15/10/2013 20:05

Ditto Strawberry hence my being a tad Hmm when dd spends most of her reading time re-reading the same books.It's a bit galling when you have shelves groaning with amazing alternatives.

FixItUpChappie · 15/10/2013 20:06

I love re-reading things....a familiar story is as comforting as a warm blanket.

If she is reading and enjoying it then don't control it - let her be! Let her revel in the fantasy of it.

Plunk some book in a similar vein around so when she hits the end of that series she can bounce off on another adventure.

lljkk · 15/10/2013 20:06

DD spent 3 or 4 months of y2 reading nothing but Calvin & Hobbes.

Turniptwirl · 15/10/2013 20:10

I love rereading books! She loves reading which is great and to be encouraged, so yabu to stop her .

Yes try and find other books for her to enjoy but don't stop her rereading ones she loves.

motherinferior · 15/10/2013 21:24

I read and re-read the same books as a child and then as an adult.

As I have two degrees in English, I have not found my habit of over reading to be overly problematic.

MissStrawberry · 15/10/2013 21:39

Retro - my children read all their books though. Not just a handful of favourites.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 15/10/2013 21:46

YABU. I read up to book five of the Game of thrones books and then promptly started re-reading Jilly Cooper's Riders before starting on the next GoT Sometimes your brain just craves something it knows already. It's like your imagination slipping on a pair of worn, comfy slippers.

neverputasockinatoaster · 15/10/2013 22:04

I re read books over and over again. I find that each time I read them I take something new from the book.

One series that I read over and over are the Robin Hobbs books and each time I read them I see more and more links from one trilogy to the other.

As a child I read books over and over again too and if a new book came out in a series I would read the series from start to finish again.

valiumredhead · 15/10/2013 23:08

I often re read books. Would you seriously say to her 'you can't read then again?'Shock

Donkeyok · 15/10/2013 23:44

When my dd was 9/10/11 she spent nearly 2 years rereading the Harry Potter series and refused to try any other morsels dangled near her. Her teachers said she had 16 y reading age so it seemed limiting. But dd said it inspired all her writings which gave her a brilliant MidYis vocabulary score this year. It just became her thing, after all she loved it. I could make suggestions but couldn't take it away from her. Her teacher wisely didn't comment when I brought it up at parents evening.

Theodorakiss · 16/10/2013 06:06

Do people really check which books their children are reading and rereading? How utterly intrusive and controlling.

merrymouse · 16/10/2013 06:17

Maybe you have already tried this, but to extend your dd's book experience, I would try sharing audio books (long car journeys) and shared family read aloud time, where everybody has some input on the book you choose.

merrymouse · 16/10/2013 06:19

By the way, it doesn't sound as though she needs more book experience. It's just fun to share.

Retropear · 16/10/2013 07:41

Theo considering they have to log down what they read for school who expect a variety yes.Hmm

They may well be free readers but being in primary they still have much to learn across a whole spectrum of books.

Theodorakiss · 16/10/2013 07:56

I just can't imagine pearl clutching about reading. But thanks for the sceptismo face, explains a lot.

ll31 · 16/10/2013 08:04

You sound so controlling tbh, scarily so....let her read what she wants, I can't understand why this is a problem for you. And she reads more than one book at a time, the horror..... She souends great, don't try and ruin reading for her. Get her more books fine, but don't try forcing her. she's an individual, she doesn't habe to be the same as you

ll31 · 16/10/2013 08:05

You could get her book on Greek gods, etcgiven that shes reading Percy j

LIZS · 16/10/2013 08:11

Why one earth not ? I was an avid EB fan and reread her books time and again . There is huge comfort to be derived from revisiting old friends. Went on to study English at uni btw and that did kill my enthusiasm for reading.

merrymouse · 16/10/2013 11:07

I bet Clarice Bean has read the Ruby Redfort books atleast 4 times.

Also, isn't there a difference between reading for pleasure and reading for school? (Not saying reading for school isn't a pleasure, just that they are different things in terms of the parameters that might be set).

I would expect that in Junior school you would read books for research, the teacher would read a book with the class, you would study different kinds of writing in class and the teacher might set reading a particular book as homework.

However, I don't see why any of that would preclude you from also reading Percy Jackson as many times as you wanted. I can also see that as a parent you might be desperate to share some other books, for no other reason that that they are a good read, but again, why not as well as PJ?

Seriously, an 8 year old who enjoys reading and has the reading skills to read PJ is not going to only read PJ for the rest of her life.

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