Reading for 'free reader' Y3

[shebird]

DD is a good reader and is allowed to choose her books from home or the school library. Mostly she reads her own books or swaps with friends. Right now they are all keen on the Jacqueline Wilson books (not Tracy Beaker) and also Daisy and The Trouble with... Etc. but SIL who is a teacher said I should discourage these books. Is this a personal opinion or the view of teachers in general? I'm happy for her to read whatever as long as its appropriate and as long as she's reading!

My DD1 is at this stage too but I place as much importance on her guided reading book and we still do read that and do lots of comprehension work around the text too. Perhaps what your SIL is getting at is that just because she can decode well she still needs her wider skills developing and that reading is much more than that.

Why on earth would you discourage those books?

Very bizarre.

Definitely not a view of teachers in general ime.

Wny would discourage any reading if the child enjoys it?

They may be a bit on the "trashy" but now your daughter can read fluently she can develop her taste and this is one way of doing that.
I spent my early teen years devouring Sweet Valley High, now that was baaad! I ended up with an English degree and love Shakespeare and poetry. So don't worry.

Oh Sweet Valley High that takes me back! DD also reading Rohald Dahl books as guided reading in school so I don't see the harm in a bit of 'light' reading if that's what she wants to read. I don't get this slightly snobbish attitude to certain books. At this age surely the point is she is reading because she wants to and is enjoying it!

My y4 daughter has never been discouraged from reading the books that you listed and my sister who is a teacher has never commented on dd's collection of Jacqueline Wilsons etc.
They aren't exactly classic literature but they are lots of fun.

My DDs school library contains these books and they are allowed to choose their reading books from the library. I assume the teacher keeps an eye on what your DD is reading and if she wasn't happy she would gently point her in the direction of something else? I think generally kids should enjoy what they are reading. some books can be a bit 'samey' and may not be expanding a childs skills but IME children soon get bored if this is the case and move onto the next set. In my day it was Enid Blyton who was frowned upon - I rapidly devoured as many as I could lay my hands on. I have always been (and still am) an avid reader - but I read for pleasure not because it will do me good.

If she's reading willingly and happily, leave her to it. Still read aloud to her - perhaps you can choose a more advanced book for that. My mum read to me until I was nearly a teenager, but at seven my reading age was already 14, so she didn't have to. I remember her reading me Georgette Heyer! Those were the days!
I read aloud to my eleven year old, sometimes just a first chapter, to encourage him to be interested in a book he would not normally pick up himself off the shelf (I started him off on The Northern Lights a year ago, and he read the three books by himself after that, enthralled), or sometimes just because I like to read to him. I am reading aloud The Lord of the Flies at the moment, and he is very much enjoying it - but he would probably have baulked at the complexity of the language and images by himself.
He reads stuff like Darren Shan by himself - there are lots of those. I would not choose them - his big brother sends them to him!

You can't govern what your child reads too much, or it will put them off. I read Enid Blyton (my DS thinks they are ultra boring and staid and refused to read the ones someone gave him, to my relief!) and it did me no harm. I ended up a children's writer myself!
PM me if you want to know what I write.

Hi shebird:

My DD (Y4 but a bit of a slow reader) also likes the Jacqui Wilson books. I think the problem may be that the language isn't always grammatically correct and the vocabularly can be a bit limited. I also know that kids can get into a rut of reading only one type of book. So perhaps the teacher was trying to encourage more challenging vocabulary and different genres.

Some good lists of books by age can be found here: www.kidsreads.com/lists/classic-lists.asp - it sounds like you might want to start with intermediate 8 - 10 reading (classics & new favourites), but she may be borderline.

Guardian book recommendations 8 - 11 years: www.guardian.co.uk/books/2000/mar/24/childrens.library

The Book Trust also has book lists - your DD may be between bands - they have 5 - 8 and 9 - 11 - but have a look, you should be able to judge what she can tackle now and get some ideas on what to read next - www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/children/booklists/

Hope that helps