To ban all things Jacqueline Wilson in my house

[Normalisavariantofcrazy]

Off the back of the shit that is Tracey Beaker?

I've yet to hear positive things said about her books by any parent.

I'm happy to be convinced otherwise (although the kids are non plussed about her books)

My dd loved her books when she was 9. I read a couple. They were okay and we'd have a little discussion about any points that came up.

We never bothered with Tracey Beaker as the tv programme irked both of us.

I've met Jacqueline Wilson and she's absolutely lovely. Makes time to chat to the children and answer their questions.

You are totally NBU to ban Jacqueline Wilson. We have 2 shelves of her books in the library I work in and good grief they are such a bad example of kids behaviour, parenting, everything.
I realise that some families are like this sort of, but honestly ramming it down kids throats non stop is just awful.

Well, my DD read some of her books (including Tracey Beaker). She was fairly 'meh' about them, but not because they aren't any good. Because DD prefers adventure type stuff.

I think it's pretty daft to dismiss someone who a) is clearly a fantastic writer, b) is beloved by many, many children (she writes unisex books for younger children too - DS loved The Werepuppy) and c) was The Children's Laureate for two years. You may as well say Julia Donaldson and Michael Morpurgo are shit too.

So many people see the Tracey Beaker tv show and think that's all there is to Jacqueline Wilson. And they're very wrong.

Totally agree OP, as do my 2 DDs (10 & 8)

YABU!

A lot of Jacqueline Wilson's books are really tender and warm-hearted. I loved both Cookie and the Suitcase Kid, as did my DD. She's outgrown them now, but she used to love Wilson's books when she was about 8 or 9. They're often about kids who are struggling with a situation (being bullied in school, not getting along with a new step-parent) but find a way of resolving it. She puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of kindness and tolerance.

Apart from which, I really dislike the idea of censoring children's reading (obviously you'd draw a line at pornography and violence, but within those parameters, I think anything goes).

they are such a bad example of kids behaviour, parenting, everything.

You may find she's trying to introduce children (especially precious ones who live in little bubbles of loveliness) to the fact that there are children living 'real' lives in the world.

Many children (and parents) feel that they have learned about important life matters (such as adoption, death, etc) from Jacqueline Wilson books.

But maybe we should ban her and everyone should just read Rainbow Magic books where everything is pretty and sparkly.

So are you saying children who don't live in hardship aren't living real lives?

Jacqueline Wilson visited DDs school when DD was 4 and was lovely with the children. DD was so excited she wanted a book and then read lots of her books as she enjoyed them so much

The lives in them are very different to ours but it is no bad thing to learn about issues other families face

Personally, I'd rather my DD read an author who can actually write and knows her subject matter than start with all the teenage romance shite (I'm looking at you, Twilight, with your sparkly fucking vampires)

Well if your banning JW then when your dc are of the appropriate age ban
Stephenie Meyer novels

I'm saying that some kids lead very sheltered lives and have no idea what some kids go through (divorce, bullying, foster homes, etc). Why shouldn't these issues be covered in kids books?

Treas - great minds, eh

Xpost with Heartbrokenmum73

Stephanie Meyer doesn't get houseroom here either.

Don't get me wrong DH and I read shite as do the kids. But JW just gets under my skin

Maybe just ban the modern ones and let your kids read the Hetty Feather books which also have rebellious behaviour and bad parenting, only it's all right because they are Victorian.

Of course, to be consistent you'll be banning Frances Hodgson Burnett and E. Nesbit as well.

Also, if you're yet to hear a parent says positive things, here's one. Ever since reading Sapphire Battersea dd has become obsessed with wanting to be a Victorian scullerymaid. It is absolutely excellent because I can get her to sweep the floors and clean the shoes. Result!

Heartbrokenmum73 I so agree with you.

The hideous rainbow fairies make my blood boil!

Jacqueline Wilson does amazing things for children and encourages a love of reading and tackles issues that many children have to deal with in real life. The illustrated mum reminds me of a family that I went to school with for example.

oops, missed out a line. I was going to say or you should ban the Victorian ones too and then you'll have to ban Hodgson Burnett etc as well.

I really liked JW as a child and went on to be a "proper" reader (I'm an English teacher now). I think YABVU and sound a little bit snobby, sorry.

I think her books are brilliant.

So does every child ever.

My girls love the JW books, including Tracey beaker. It's been a good conversation opener in our house as I spent some of my childhood in care and with a chaotic upbringing. Luckily their childhood could not be more different than mine, so it's good for them to have some reference points we can discuss without being too detailed iykwim?

The thing with banning a book is that you make them more appealing to the people you want to protect.

Also you are not allowing your dc to make an informed decision about what is good and bad in literature.

Sparkly vampires can be fun though! (Can you tell I'm a lover of trashy novels???)

What about Harry Potter? The behaviour in those books is more than a little suspect!

Shall I tell you another reason why I blooming love JW? She wrote 'Four Children And It' as a way to encourage children to read E. Nesbit and other classics and it has worked for my dd. What a lovely thing for her to do.

I want to garland JW with

yep