to wonder if 7 yr old DD should be reading Jacqueline Wilson?

[FakeTalesOfSanFrancisco]

I am separated from my DC father. He didn't see them due to distance throughout lockdown, until about six weeks ago. Just for clarity, he usually has them every other weekend in normal circumstances. He has now seen the DC twice in the past six weeks.

7 year old DD is very bright and an advanced reader, though I've had conversations with her teachers about her comprehension ability. I don't think she is as emotionally mature as some of her friends.

Her behaviour since she has come back from her dad's the first time has been really challenging. Refusing to do any schoolwork, being aggressive at times, just generally difficult, which I've tried to deal with as calmly as possible.

She came out with a phrase 'tough titties with knobs on'- not something she has ever heard from me. Eventually she told me that she read it in 'The Suitcase Kid' by Jacqueline Wilson, which she read at her dad's. From having a quick look on mnet, it looks like the word 'slut' also appears in this book. The books is about a girl unhappy with her parent's divorce. The girl in question is 10- a lot older than 7, nearly 8.

I don't think the book is suitable for a 7 year old in any circumstances but especially not ours- to put it simply the separation hasn't exactly been easy. AIBU to think she shouldn't have been given this to read?

Ex lives with his parents and it's possible that it was his mum that bought it.

It’ll be OK in the end. Between us the bloke and I have got four kids. They’re all grown up now and they’re all fine. I’d be lying if I said it was plain sailing all the way. The fact that mine’s a decade older made it easier to handle his because I knew how upset they were. And I also knew that having someone new on the scene was difficult for them. We got there and you and your kids will too.

This is the second thread I've read today about the suitability of Jacqueline Wilson. I never heard any hand wringing before she came out as gay .

Chicken Drumstick "Enid Blyton was an awful woman who was mean to her daughters and children in the neighbourhood!" Enids daughters both have separate memories of their Mother, which is not unusual really .Gillian(the eldest) describes her mother as a fair and loving Mother ,and a fascinating companion .Imogens memories are less rosy ,describing her mothers visits to the Nursery as hasty and angry .Telling them off if they made too much noise while she wrote! I think those were different times where children were supposed to be seen and not heard .EB was still a fantastic writer ,and while probably not exactly Mother of the year was not awful or cruel .Many children of famous people recall their parents having little time for them ,as they were working hard and trying to make their mark .Not an excuse obviously but she gave so many children pleasure and reading skills to boot!

@Mookie81 the other thread was started by someone who posted on this thread as she is a big fan of JW- I started this thread asking for opinions on a suitability of a book of hers.

Don't look for homophobia when it isn't there.

See shop.scholastic.co.uk/products/Jacqueline-Wilson-Pack-Ages-7-9-Jacqueline-Wilson-9789999456388 and www.penguin.co.uk/articles/children/2019/jan/where-to-start-with-jacqueline-wilson.html as they both give rough age bands.

JW is a fabulous author who deals with important issues in an empathetic way, but not all her books are suitable for 7yos!

This is the second thread I've read today about the suitability of Jacqueline Wilson. I never heard any hand wringing before she came out as gay

The other thread was inspired by this one because the OP on the other thread likes JW and wanted to discuss her books. The fact that she’s gay hadn’t been mentioned before your post, and the OP of the other thread isn’t critical of her. The OP of this thread isn’t critical either - she just wanted to know if one particular book is appropriate for her 7yo.

JW is gay!?!

@otterlielovely

JW is gay!?!

Yep, I live near her and her partner

@Someone1987

I'm a huge fan of Jacqueline Wilson. At her age she could read The Mum Minder, Best Friends, Sleepovers, to name several. Some would not be suitable. The illustrated Mum, Secrets, The Dustbin Baby, Vicky Angel, again to name a few. I was about her age when I began reading JW, as my older sister did. A I borrowed her books and admittedly I did not understand The Dustbin Baby one bit, but when I read it as a teenager I realised it is a challenging read (tw: suicide, for example). The Suitcase KId is on the fence really..the girl in there is very sad and it does not paint a very nice picture of split families. I remember JW saying that at one of her book talks, a dad asked her why her books were always negative about the dad's. Tbh that is true.

This is interesting- just been discussing this on another JW thread going currently. JW had a difficult relationship with her own father (she refers to this in Jacky Daydream, the first part of her autobio) and I think she was exorcising a lot fo her own demons in her writing.

I like JW’s books but yeah I’d say TSK is a too old for a 7 year old - it’s more of a book for 9-11s I think - and also from your posts it doesn’t sound like it’s helpful in her circumstances.

I wouldn’t be over the moon. Yes it’s not 50 Shades of Grey but I still don’t think you’re overreacting. That isn’t to criticise JW as an author but it sounds like this isn’t an appropriate book for your daughter.

@lordjesusblessmycavies8 that's interesting about her dad as well... have you the link to the other thread? X

My just turned 7yo loves JW and suitcase kid is one of her favourites, as it was mine when I was a similar age so I'm surprised to hear people thinking it's not suitable for that age group. It's a very short book, wouldn't last a 10 year old long!

We don't have any disruption in our lives, but we are close to people who do, so I think JW's books are helpful in developing empathy or at least understanding for other people's situations. I don't police what she reads at all, as I know from my own experience she'll just gloss over anything she doesn't understand, I don't really see that a book can be traumatic in the same way as a film that's too old for them - it will just go straight over their heads. She has tried some of the older ones from the library (my sister jodie was one of them) but she put it straight back down as clearly didn't understand the themes.

@Mookie81

This is the second thread I've read today about the suitability of Jacqueline Wilson. I never heard any hand wringing before she came out as gay .

Totally irrelevant to me. She's one of these authors I know who writes for quite a wide range of children/teens and so is one I've always been aware of having to screen somewhat in terms of subject matter. I'm probably slightly more wary as DD1 has a good friend who has older siblings and reads a lot of completely blooming unsuitable stuff (Love Lessons as mentioned before for a 7 year old) led by her siblings (and a lack of parental supervision) so I need to keep an eye on what DD is being influenced toward as a result.

Therefore we've got a bookshelf full of things like JW (I'm a compulsive charity shop book raker) but I check they're not the "older" ones and put those aside for later years. I know she's going to find the slightly more mature subject matter stuff sooner or later but she can at least devote a mild amount of effort to it - like we had to hunting down copies of Judy Blume's Forever!

I read a lot of the earlier JW books between the ages of about 10 and 12. I remember some of them seeming very dark. I seem to remember one where a girl goes to live with a foster family, and the father is very physically abusive, and it was quite graphically described.

I think I'd want to vet them before I let my 7 year old at them.