Jacqueline Wilson Magazine Subscription

[ChinaInYourHands]

Would you say this is a good present for a 10 year old girl? Is there a way to get it cheaper than the £55 it costs for a years subscription?

Is she yours? (DD I mean, not JW) It's just that some parents do like/allow JW and some don't. She's one of those "polarising" authors who divides people's opinions. I wouldn't buy anything of hers for someone else's DD without checking if it was acceptable first.

Some of it might be a bit young for a 10-year-old - I know some of JW's stuff is quite teenagey, but the magazine seems to be aimed at the younger end of the readership. DD, just turned 9, says it is boring now.

Why not go for something like the Puffin Post instead, if she's a keen reader? Not as frequent (every two months), but much more to read, better quality, and better value since you can choose a free book every issue. Oh, and it's cheaper (£39).

That's interesting PomBear, what is it about JW that some people don't like? I had no idea. This is not for my DC but for my niece so I think I'll make a few more inquiries. I wouldn't want to spend all that money if she's going to grow tired of it after a couple of months.
Exexpat, is that like a book club?

Puffin Post is a magazine with lots of short stories, competitions, interactive stuff (and website you get membership of), plus a choice of (I think) six books in each issue. Website gives a reasonable idea.

I think the issue people have with JW is that some of her stuff is suitable for young children - 6-9 age group - but a lot of it is older and darker, and deals with issues like death, divorce, alcohol, sex, drugs etc etc. So people with young DCs who get a taste for the fluffier JW books sometimes get a shock when they find their DCs have picked up one of the books aimed at older readers.

I read her stuff, and won't let my DD read some of it, and would never let her read one that I hadn't read. I think it's the issues she tackles - they tend to be quite heavy subjects, particularly in her teen books, and different readers are ready for that sort of thing at different times. To use an example - The Illustrated Mum is a bipolar parent who is off meds and is basically not coping very well with her DDs. They end up separated and in foster care after the youngest (primary school age) has to phone an ambulance to come to help her. It's moving and quite sensitively handled, but I read it as an adult and found it "deep". It needs an adult judgement I think, as to whether a child/teen is ready for that sort of thing. All her books are very much "full on" with gritty issues, about as far from twee fairies and Enid Blyton as it's possible to get. There are deaths and unwanted pregnancies and neglected/abused children galore.