Jacqueline Wilson for a 6 yr old?

[lovecheese]

DD aged 6.2 is currently reading "best Friends" by Jacqueline Wilson and is enjoying and following it. Do others think it is suitable/unsuitable for someone of her age? She picked it herself, incidentally from the 9-12 fiction shelf at Waterstones.

[morningpaper]

I think that 6 year olds like formulaic reads TBH and wouldn't worry about "challenging" her just yet

I did get to the stage of wanting to ban Fairy books but eventually they tire of them

[lovecheese]

I am not pushing her to read a more "challenging" book, she wants to read it, and frankly I am pleased that she has the reading ability and developing maturity to do it. Not dissing the fairy/mermaid/pony books BTW, I think they are great for emerging readers for want of a better word to realise "hey I can read a proper book!" and are a stepping stone stage between reading scheme books and longer chapter books, (and have probably earned their authors a small fortune along the way!)

[Fennel]

my dds have liked both formulaic and more challenging books, at 6 and now too. As do I - chicklit for the brain-dead moments, heavy foreign classics for when I have the energy.

Though I am dissing the dreadful rainbow fairy type books, thankfully my dds don't like fairies or princesses so they haven't been interested in most of the worst of it, we've been spared cute sparkle kitten and princess glitter and rainbow fairy horrors.

[Vickisuli]

Surprised that so many people are anti JW books for this age. My daughter and I both loved Best Friends, it brought a tear to my eye at the end and there was nothing inappropriate in it, just a message that sometimes things happen you don't like but they aren't necessarily the end of the world.

My daughter has done the Fairies etc (yawn) but has also read classics like A Little Princess and the Narnia books. But what I liked about this book was she could properly read it all by herself unlike the classics which can be wordy, so I'm looking for other age appropriate JW books for her. I realise that she does write books for teens too so its a case of finding the right ones. Plenty of writers write for different age groups, you don't have to write them off just because some of their books are unsuitable. Michael Morpurgo for example, some of his books are quite heavy and not at all suitable for young readers but some are about animals etc just right for a 5 or 6 year old.

[Periwinkle007]

I have never looked at one of them but then my daughters are 4 and 5. I have to say from reviews etc I have read I would prefer my children NOT reading them, not until senior school anyway.

There are so many books out there they could read instead. We do have the fairies/mermaids/lucky star etc but we also have lots of books I had as a child, Ballet Shoes, The Swish of the Curtain, those kind of books. More challenging than the long series of quick read books but still much more 'sheltered' than some of the current fiction.

Trying to think what else we have, twins at St Clairs, Mallory Towers, things of adventure (castle, ship etc), Roald Dahl, Ramona (I used to LOVE them apparently), Charlottes Web, Dick King Smith (some of his books are longer if I remember right, some are pretty short) Drina Adams (Ballet stories, really nice books, probably a bit more aimed at 9 year olds ish but incredibly harmless so could be read by a younger child without any concerns)

[BlackeyedSusan]

i always read any of her books first as some are suitable, some definitely not. sleepovers is suitable for dd, which she first read age 5, my sister jodie is definitely not suitable til she is a lot older.

I have quite a few of her books for when dd is older.

[Belugagrad]

I grew up reading JW books and I'm a happy healthy grown up! Read buried alive and me and mum read the mum
Minder and double act together. I loved them and they got me reading! Adults love mis-lit, so why are we surprised kids
Like a bit of drama. Feel free to read them yourself before judging them but at the same time adults find them sadder than kids i find. I would recommend the lottie project and cookie as her best.

[DuchessofMalfi]

DD is nearly 7 and we've read some Jacqueline Wilson together. We enjoyed Four Children and It, which is a modern take on E Nesbit's Five Children and It. Lovely story, nothing horrible in it at all, and I thought it was fine for DD's age.

We've also read The Worst Thing About My Sister, which was also a good story about how two sisters learn to get along, sharing a bedroom.

However, we came unstuck with Queenie, which DD insisted on buying with her pocket money. We got three chapters in, and had to stop. I can't imagine why JW thought that a tale of an old grandmother with TB, spitting up blood in a sanatorium was suitable reading for any age. It's one we'll probably send to the charity shop. I really wish I'd looked at the write up in more depth first before letting DD have it. Reading it made me shudder. My first JW error. Hopefully the only one, as generally we do like her stories.

We've read some of the younger age group books too.

[seeker]

It was on the 9-12 shelves in Waterstone's,

Because it is unsuitable for 6 year olds.

Saying "no" to books is as much of a parental responsibility as saying no to films and video games, however proud of your child's reading age you are.

[DuchessofMalfi]

I do wonder whether even a child aged 9-12 would enjoy Queenie. I found the subject matter (TB and its symptoms in detail) unpleasant, but having said that I remember reading tales of the Brontes when I was about DD's age and that went into quite a lot of detail about TB and their deaths.

Children don't always see things the way adults do. I wasn't distressed then and DD wasn't now (just me being over-cautious I suppose). I'll probably hang onto the book and see if DD wants to read it herself when she's ready.

[LucyLucas]

Never that keen on JW. Always thought her books were a bit depressing. Only ones I liked were Bed and breakfast star and sleepovers (younger readers) Sleepovers really good I have a 6yo dd too and she was invited for a sleepover at a friend's (!) and so I read it to her. Not too sad and good morals.

[LucyLucas]

Queenie made me shudder. hated it.

[LucyLucas]

Duchess me and my 7 yo dd loved four children and it too.

[newlark]

Just found this thread as was looking for some ideas for my 6.5 yr old daughter. She brought home a JW book from the school library that I would guess is aimed at 9-12s - I read it through and wasn't sure that it is appropriate so it is going to be buried somewhere until it needs to go back to school

She has read a large number of rainbow magic books (thankfully seems to have lost interest slightly now) and has enjoyed Kes Gray "Daisy" books. I'm reading Ballet Shoes to her at the moment. Some good ideas above for things she might be able to manage - any more?

[Blueskiesandbuttercups]

The Ivy and Bean books are fab,ditto The Pain and the Great one range by Judy Moody.There are also the Iggy books and the Daisy books.

[unlucky83]

Second for always read JW first - before DD.
The 'Girls' ones are for older readers - found this out after flipping though one of them my 8yo had read - and finding the scene where 'Magda the slagda' thinks she is going to be raped...(Actually I think that is 'girls under pressure')
Didn't learn my lesson ...think you need to read modern books before DCs
MY DD (now 12) only reads that kind of book ...and I was horrified to find flipping though one of the 'life of riley' books (not suitable for younger readers - but what does that mean?) - where in one of them she is getting the morning after pill for her friend and jealous of her friend whose parents are more liberal and will talk about blow jobs at the dinner table..don't what age that is suitable for

[RosieMBanks]

There is a section on the Jacqueline Wilson website which lists books in age groups. I thought some were unsuitable for DD when she discovered JW aged 7, and found it very useful to show her the website!

[newlark]

Thanks RosieMBanks - the book dd brought home is in the 9-11 list on the JW website - will have a word with her Yr 1 teacher!