12 year old obsessed with Jacqueline Wilson books.. Aibu to think there is better out there?

[Breakdancing]

My 12 year old has come back from the library with another stack of Jacqueline Wilson books. I've flicked through some & they are mildly inappropriate but are in the young readers section.. I love that she is a bookworm but aibu to be annoyed with her obsession with Jacqueline Wilson?

Oh god those rainbow fairy type books are so badly written and repetitive! Nearly as bad as the Animal Ark series and all its copycats - mostly utter dross!

They’re probably a bit young for her. JWs an odd one as content is much older than the quality of the writing

I don't think OP should try to stop her reading JW books or make her read anything. I just agree that JW is quite poor quality literature and there's much better out there, but that books written 100 years ago are a bit out-of-sync now with their maturity vs reading level. Look at Wind in the Willows, the storyline is suitable for maybe aged 5-7 but I can't imagine many kids under 10 being able to read it now.

My 4 yo is obsessed with the Rainbow Fairy books which is basically the same story, badly written multiple times by a "collective of authors" in case you're not familiar with them, and she's 4 and can't read yet, so guess who it is that has to grit my teeth through the appalling sentence structure, stilted dialogue and endless cliches to read them out? So I do understand the OP's perspective.

I agree, I think it also can really help create empathy and understanding that other young people can be dealing with really difficult circumstances and as others have said JW does a good job at breaking down stereotypes. I read massively as a child and a teen (including any JW) I could get my hands on and also read lots of much older books. It's probably what piqued my interest in social/ community work and it definitely helped me navigate my own difficult circumstances knowing that other people were able to be brave in much harder situations. As a community worker I see many kids who can't engage with their peers because their peers don't understand what it's like to be in care, or to have a struggling parent, or to lose a parent, or to have an ED or struggle with mental health. If they were more aware and informed it would probably help young people to be more compassionate to those in different situations to what they've grown up in which would make for a more inclusive society. I think JW navigates a careful balance between being real and honest about what some children face growing up, and not overdoing it.

I get it right to the point where she wants her daughter to read "more educational" books which is where I balk! Also the child is reading the books herself so she doesn't have to do the teeth gritting reading. I have a theory about W in the W that it was never written for children to read but was written to appeal to adults for them to read to children and not as children's books at all. I read a comment that its actually two books...the chapters with Toad in and the ones without. Much of Kenneth Graham's writing is, I think, intended to evoke nostalgia for childhood in adults rather than to entertain children...same with Winnie the Pooh.

I remember my dad banning me from reading Are You There God? It's Me, Margret at about that age. The banning was not successful.

I loved JW (and have preordered the update on the Girls in series!), Judy Blume, Point Horror, Point Crime, Paula Danziger, Louise Rennison etc when I was about that age. I'm sure the OP would deem all of them to be unsuitable.

There's nothing wrong with JW and trying to stop her reading them will backfire in any event.

Book snobbery annoys me. She’s reading. That’s a great thing. You say she’s academic which is wonderful but … You’re allowed to read for pleasure. Let her enjoy the books. She will move on at some point. So much better than watching rubbish on tik tok or you tube.

She can still be academic and read JW. She is a kid, let her enjoy her summer holidays, that's what they're for. Don't be a pushy parent. It doesn't mean she is any less academic. I would just be happy she loves reading. She may well find another obsession to replace this one. Reading these books could be her safe zone. I say this as somebody who regularly goes through phases of reading and watching the same things for comfort, and I know this is something many children do.

My sister loved Jacqueline Wilson books. I'm a bit older so I read Judy Blume, the Sweet Valley High books. Jacqueline Wilson is probably better than Sweet Valley to be honest! I was reading Mills and Boon at 13 - at least JW is actually for kids 😅

Yes YABU and a bit controlling. Reading is something pleasurable and people, tweens included, should read what they enjoy, unless it's totally inappropriate, which these books aren't. At 12 she should have complete autonomy in her age-appropriate choice of books.

Has she read the obvious- HARRY POTTER and prequels? Also, Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence are fabulous and make history come alive for kids. Also: A Wrinkle in Time- exciting story and mixes science into it

DD was obsessed with Harry Potter for a while to the point she wouldn't read anything else. I like HP but wanted her to branch out a bit so I looked up books which were similar but a bit different and bought those books second hand / found them in the library and suggested we read them together, take them to places she might get bored and want to read for a few minutes etc. she liked Hermione as a character so I looked up books with main characters similar to her. She liked magic, boarding school and friendship etc. Maybe you could work out what your DD likes about JW books and find some which are similar but different enough to encourage her to branch out a bit.

I adored Jacqueline Wilson, and went on to do a masters in English literature. She's a brilliant children's author.

Your daughter might enjoy a sweet book about being a girl in a band, written by Clare Grogan. It's called Tallulah and the Teen Stars. Just a thought.

Malorie Blackman’s books are definitely a notch up from JW, and equally deal with important issues (racism and transgressive inter-racial relationships). MB is a far superior writer; I was furious when a librarian gave my daughter JW— partly for the contrived, gratuitous storylines and partly for lousy writing.

Could be worse - I was reading my mum's Jackie Collins's at that age! 😆

My mum was similarly appalled by my love of Enid Blyton’s books. Hated them which made them all the more attractive. So while I sympathise and agree about JW, your daughter is reading.

Once I’d done with EB, I moved onto all sorts of authors - some suitable some not. Ursula Le Guin, Susan Cooper, Lynne Reid Banks, Judith Krantz, even the awful Barbara Cartland Mills & Boon books my mother had been given and hated.

Since then I’ve read plenty of classics, crime novels, sci-fi etc. Your daughter will find her next thing when she’s ready. (I also do what others have said, find a new author and read everything they’ve written.)

Yes read all the H.Ps, a wrinkle in time sounds familiar, will check out Caroline Lawrence.. Both my dd's are huge Emma Carroll fans

Lucky you! I would have done anything to have had my 12 year olds voraciously reading Jacqueline Wilson books. They are wonderful books and brilliantly written.

I read loads of Wilbur Smith and James Clavell at that age for the sexy bits . I am now a senior humanities academic. Let her read what she wants, it won't do her any harm.

I liked some but not all of hers. I'm wondering whether to just buy the Sleepovers sequel, because that was one I did like.

I think as long as she's reading I'd leave her to it, but maybe suggest adding in something different every so often. I used to re-read Home Farm Twins and some Animal Ark in my early teens as comfort reads (it's where I learned about poaching and badger baiting, so they're not all that cosy!).

I read loads of different things now. I'm currently reading Oliver Twist, but before that I read Ballet Shoes.

My DDs were very academic. But they still loved her books, and others in a similar genre. Reading them isn't going to dull your DD's brain. And she'll grow out of the phase soon enough.

My eldest dd was obsessed with JW books at the same age. Now she's doing a degree in English literature. If your dd enjoys reading now, it doesn't matter what she reads, she'll progress as she gets older.

Better than the Flowers in the Attic books that were passed round like contraband when I was your DDs age.

Go to Girls Gone By Publishers (based in Somerset) for reprints of Chalet School titles. Very reasonably priced.