Jacqueline Wilson - aren't her books depressing?

[daisie4]

My DD wasn't really interested in reading a book to the end ntil she discovered Jacquline Wilson. No she's read loads, but... aren't they all so depressing full of broken families etc. I'd prefer her to read positive stuff, or at least something that reflects her own life a bit more. Does anyone else have this view?
Does anyone have any suggestions for other authors she might like that I might too?
Am I being utopian?

I'd like to challenge JW to write a good, interesting book about a family which doesn't involve divorce, death, etc. Bet she can't do it! Bit of a one trick pony I think....

And they are sooo dreary.

I much prefer the Hilary McKay series - much more humourous...

I did love reading about other people's tragedies when I was younger though!! LOVED it, but from the security of my own happy childhood bedroom. I will hold them back for a few years,

Hilary McKay, I'll google her.

I agree Liffey that kids can be drawn to these things - one of my favourites as a child was about twins where one had been accidentally switched at birth with another baby!

But some of the detail in JW is too much - I know of a girl (8) who read a few pages of Dustbinbaby (in the school library) and was quite distressed by the graphic description of the birth...

I've just looked at our JW collection, for my 8 and 7yo dds. We have about 10, I don't think there are any boyfriend/sex/puberty stories. Glubbslyme, Tracy Beaker, Double Trouble, Lizzie Zipmouth, Illustrated mum, Vicky Angel and various others.

A couple of the ones particularly suitable for younger children, 6 up:

Cliffhanger is about a boy going on a week's activity holiday, making friends, not liking sports. My dds already go away without us on Woodcraft camp and hostel trips so this is relevant to their experiences already. Nothing about divorce, death, sex.

Another shortish one suitable for younger children, I think, is Video Rose (though I;ve only skimmed it). A girl loves watching videos. Video breaks down. Rose panics and copes. She seems to live at home with a mother and father, no divorce or death.

Kathyis6incheshigh - love your very intellectual comment about Tracy Beaker the 'unreliable narrator'.

I used to love JW's books (actually still do - bit of a guilty pleasure!) and see absolutely no harm in them. In fact, if your child is lucky enough to have a stable and comfortable family life then it's even more important that they read about people who don't. Many of JW's narrators are troubled in one way or another and are often outsiders. It does happy, confident, stable 9 / 10 / 11 year old girls good to read about life from the perspective of others and could teach a little empathy.

However, I would approach 'Love Lessons' with extreme caution. It's about a teenage girl who has an affair with her art teacher. Yes - an affair! Ok, no sex but they do kiss and he is tempted to leave his wife and child. The girl is 14.

Good point about it teaching empathy. Often the child who is having a hard time gets picked on a bit at school for being different - eg 'April Showers' in Dustbin Baby IIRC for being always upset. The underlying message there is always good.

GrapefruitMoon - agree about Dustbin Baby but would argue that it shouldn't be in a primary school library in the first place. The narrator is 14 and the blurb clearly says the book is for 'older readers'.

KingRolo - I am now that the book was apparently in the book corner of Yr3 classroom!

Yr3? .

Parents / teachers / library staff do need to be careful with writers like JW as they write for very young kids and teenagers.

update

Having skim-read clean break in advance so that i was forewarned and on the right foot to quickly gloss over anything too inappropriate for a 6 yo.............. we ar 5 chapters in, and for the first time in nearly 2 yrs, my dd told me about a dream she had where she was 'trying to catch daddy, but he was shrinking like alice in wonderland" She tried to follow him but then he got on a boat and went a way. She saw me and uncle guy and granddad and she came back to us.

oh.my.god.

But she told it to me in such a matter of fact way and it's good that she's talking about it. It's the first time she has even given me a hint of how she feels in the last 2 yrs.

I am an English teacher and I understand your concerns. However, I can say that I found Angela's Ashes unputtadownable precisely because a deprived Roman Catholic upbringing is so far from my own experience. People are interested in the dark side of life which is often explored in literature. Even children's classics such as Oliver twist and most fairy stories explore the underworld. I hate the term ''broken home'' btw(as dd and I are from a so called scenario- see my thread on lone parents. Just because your dd reads depressing literature dosn't mean that she is depressed. Mabe she would be interested in more fantasy literature such as Terry Pratchett, Northern lights etc? I loved the Chronicles of Narnia as a child. It is far from any of our experiences but not depressing per say.

Love the point about literature teaching empathy- it is one of my favourite things about books. At least she is reading independantly- that is a good thing.

some say a deprived upbringing was quite far from Frank McCourt's experience too!

I realize this is an old thread but I just want to say, What is the point of getting her to read something that reflects her life? Doesn't that...contradict why we read and write literature in the first place. How is it going to help her in any way. Many young adults have grown up reading JW and were never emotionally scarred. Yes, the themes are sometimes depressing but these dark themes are handled in a sensitive, appropriate way and the overall message is positive and uplifting. It is a great way for children to learn about difficult issues like these and understand them, and it's important for these books to exist as while you may find these ideas uncomfortable, a lot of her books reflect real children's experiences. Divorce and mental health ect are all very common in life because life is not 'nice' and i personally think this has proved, through all the kids that have loved these books, that they are a great way to expose young kids to them.

I think around that age or maybe a little older for some, I read and enjoyed, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, Charlotte Sometimes, Pippi Longstocking, Step by Wicked Step, The Tulip Touch, The Wind Singer Trilogy and will try to think of some more. I’m not sure if they are less depressing n theme though.

I grew up reading Jacqueline Wilson's books and I loved them. My mum used to be concerned that they were too depressing or grown up but I think adults forget that kids don't necessarily pick up on really bad stuff. I didn't associate my sister jodie with death or diamond girls with abuse...I just enjoyed to read books that were real. If you notice your child's behaviour worsening or the books affecting them negatively then I'd just let them read the books...they are written for that age afterall

I teach year 5, david walliams always goes down a treat with them, also deals with quite big themes but very funny. Roald dahl is great, matt haig has written some lovely children's books.
I also love reading and did really enjoy jw as a child although yes they are quite depressing!

I was, and still am, a voracious reader. At that age, I loved Roald Dahl, Anne Fine, Michael Morpurgo (Kensuke's Kingdom and The Butterfly Lion were my favourites), Jeremy Strong, Judy Blume, and the Harry Potter series.