Reading bad books

Redlass · #1 06-05-2001, 07:57 PM

OK. I have a conundrum.

I've been collecting books to send to my 13-year-old niece. I'm then writing her a letter to go with each book and mailing them to her at the rate of about one a week (though the first two are sitting on my kitchen table because I haven't had the time to go to the post office and figure out how much it cost to mail it).

I've been trying to pick out a variety of books--lots of classics that I know are good (such as The Westing Game, The House with a Clock in Its Walls, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Anne of Green Gables, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Wind in the Willows, etc.). I've also tried to pick some that I think will match with her interests, even though I haven't read them yet (Morgan's Zoo, Child of the Wolves, 15 Rabbits, The Music of Dolphins, Island of the Blue Dolphins etc.). Then I picked up a few that are merely the juvenile equivalent of pulp fiction.

So, should I send her books that I think are bad?

On one hand, she may disagree with me and enjoy the book thoroughly and since the point is to help develop a love for reading, then the objective is achieved. We may have wildly different tastes in literature and I want to respect her taste.

On the other hand, I feel guilty sending her something that I consider pointless. And, I don't want to turn her off of reading by having her think books are dull or callow.

When it comes right down to it, I don't ever consider reading a waste of time--even if the book was bad. However, it's not my reading time we're talking about. I want to send her lots of good stuff because her parents aren't readers and though her mom homeschools her, she admitted to me that she really didn't know what she should have my niece read. I only mention that to point out that there is a bit of an uphill battle. I don't know if it is possible to encourage a child to love books when her parents do not. But I'm sure going to try.

Before I wander too far: Do I send her the bad or mediocre books or no?

**taurusmoon** · #2 06-05-2001, 08:04 PM

Why not send her all of them but tell her honestly that you think some are better than others and encourage her to discuss the books with you.

You may find some interesting discussion stem from the variance in what you perceive as quality. She may love a book you find pointless or loathe a book you adore.

Maybe you two might learn that you have the same taste in books. Wouldn't that be fun?

Sara

jenninca · #3 06-05-2001, 08:35 PM

If you're honest in the letters you send her with the books, I say go for it! I remember times when I was younger that my mom didn't like a book and I loved it, and definitely vice versa. I have also had students take a book that I thought was awful (One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest, for instance) and find it so wonderful that she read the whole series.

I like Sara's idea of then discussing the books with her after she's read them--I think that could lead to some really good thinking and even (gasp!) learning going on.

By the way, send The Music of Dolphins. That's a really good one for discussing.

Cindy

quasar · #4 06-05-2001, 09:29 PM

Aside from the excellent point of you could disagree about the books, I think there are two other things to consider.

1) Reading pulp can be great fun, sometimes more fun that reading the good stuff. If you want her to love reading, this may be a good way to start.

2) If you only send "literature" you could be cultivating a literary snob (for lack of a better label). Now, I think there is nothing wrong (and a lot right) with encouraging someone to read the classics and the books that you love, but I found that kids bond over the pulp. I know that isn't your goal, per se, but I think it should be considered. I read just about everything growing up. I enjoyed just about all of it. The books that got talked about outside the classroom? Trixie Belden, Doc Savage, etc.

Just something to consider,

Janice

KristenNC · #5 06-05-2001, 09:37 PM

Define bad.

Do you mean rather mindless escapism? Since when is that bad?

If your honest worry is that the book is both poorly written and totally without entertainment value, then where exactly do you find it? If it is mass produced, it is probably good to SOMEONE - right? If it were a book I personally hated (one of the half dozen or so ever in my life) - then I wouldn't hesitate to leave them out on principle - but NOT because I honestly think that my taste should be the one I encourage in other people. If I were going to leave out what some academic might deem "pulp" - then I personally couldn't find much to leave behind.

If you want her to love to read, then give her the good stories that might interest her. If you want her to learn to write literature, send her tuition. If you are worried about the subject matter of the book (like, sending "Are You There God...." to an immature pre-teen) then leave it out - there are plenty of other good stories. But if it is a case of the NYTs panned it but Cosmo thought it was great - I'd vote to add it.

Just my thoughts.

Redlass · #6 06-05-2001, 09:54 PM

Janice--you mean Trixie Belden isn't a classic?

I suppose I should better define things. I'll confess that I've entirely avoided the whole "Sweet Valley High Series" in part because I'm not sure I could bear reading them myself (which may be unfair since I'm judging solely by the cover and what little I've read about them).

I did, though, pick up an Animorphs book, and I have some concern about sending that to her. (Mind, I haven't read it yet and could completely change my mind once I've read it.)

I guess I feel like I'm making a recommendation by sending it to her and some of the books I've read aren't that great. The one I just finished--"Mary Kate and Ashley: The Case of the Blue-Ribbon Horse" is not one that I would get too excited about. And I'd feel a little guilty if she started to buy into the whole crass commercialism that I've since found out surrounds the book. Then again, perhaps that's being a little snobbish on my part.

A few of the books I'm worried might be too intense, but I'm going to talk to my sister-in-law and find out whether my niece (I've had to delete her name several times now--I really need to watch that!) gets frightened easily.

jnbmoore · #7 06-05-2001, 10:15 PM

Why Do i think this question has to do with MAry Kate and Ashley?

I'd skip those, Goosebumps, and Babysitter club..

I'd go more with Nancy Drew, E. Brown, Three Investigators and good classic mindless stuff than with the new stuff. Those had more meat

Bridgette

Dani257 · #8 06-05-2001, 10:43 PM

Okay, I assume you don't mean 'bad' as immoral, just as nothing more than fluff. I presonally don't see anything wrong with fluff. Sure, I think she should be exposed to good books, but think of 'bad' books as the occasional candy bar.

I devoured Babysitter's Club books as well as Newbery ones. Now, I read all sorts of things. Biographies, novels, the National Enquirer. Reading doesn't have to always be edifying. Sometimes it's nice to sit back with something you know isn't going to improve you. Hey, I never thought I was learning anything when I watched Friends. It was just fun.

Send her the good and the bad. Tell her she may not like every one, and she may disapgree with you about which ones are bad, but that's why they have so many different kinds of books, to match so many different kinds of people.

Grouch · #9 06-06-2001, 01:00 AM

Looking back now, I have to wonder how much harm Encyclopedia Brown did to my neurological system. Back then, he was probably considered "pulp lit." Same with the Three Investigators and that chick N. Drew and her Hardy pals. Criminey, once I even cracked the spine of a--gasp!--Tom Swift adventure. But don't tell the Library Police.

I'm of the opinion that, as long as the reading material is not inappropriate (as defined by the parents) or illiterate (as defined by Mssrs. Webster, Strunk and White), then I think it's a good thing. Reading is reading is reading.

Having said that, do I think there are varying degrees of quality in children's literature? Most certainly! Just as there are "good" and "baaad" books for adults. I can't tell you how many times I would see my youngest son reading a copy of Animorphs or Goosebumps or Ghosts Don't Eat Potato Chips and an involuntary shudder went down my spine. Simultaneously, there was a warm glow spreading through my veins at the mere sight of him actually reading SOMEthing!

So, to answer the original question, I would most certainly send your niece a mixture of things like Santa Claus Doesn't Mop Floors and Island of the Blue Dolphins. Something, at some point, will spark in her brain and she'll catch your fire.

**taurusmoon** · #10 06-06-2001, 07:20 AM

Bridgette,

Having walked away from this thread for a bit and wandering back here all bright eyed and bushy tailed from a night's sleep... Okay, okay, having stumbled back to the computer, crashing into every object in my way... is that better?...

Anyway, I just looked over your reading list and a number of the recommendations and reminiscences others have made and I realized something -- all the books on the list are juvenile.

A 13-year-old is probably more interested in more mature reading. Now I'm not talking smut, I'm talking depth. At 13 I was chewing through my mother's bookshelf and stalking the stacks throughout the public library. I distinctly remember doing a book report on Gone With the Wind when I was in the 7th grade, which would have put me somewhere around 11/12 years old. Okay, so maybe that book somehow broke through the smut barrier, but you see my point.

Your niece might be ready and/or aching for a different level of reading. That's something you might want to explore.

Sara
Who never had a 13-year-old girl but remembers being one

**amykhar** · #11 06-06-2001, 09:02 AM

For the most part, I don't buy new childrens books for my kids (published within the last decade) because I have found them to be extremely dummied down. I stick to books that I read and enjoyed as a kid.

However, my kids bring home recent books from other sources. They get them at the school library, others buy them as gifts, and they buy them with their allowance. I am just happy to see them reading.

Even I read pulp garbage now and again. Sometimes, people just need something light and inane to fill an hour or two. I say if you've already bought the books, send em to her.

Amy

bupkiss · #12 06-06-2001, 10:39 PM

I agree that the BSC books are not all bad. They are quite easy to read and usually have fluffy plots, but I remember learning quite a few things from them, and the writing wasn't *too* dumbed down.

Anyway, I think it's a good idea to send a mix of classics as well as "escapist" reads. I also definitely think it's worthwhile to foster a love for reading in your niece, even if her parents aren't big readers.

And by the way, Redlass, you're a really cool and thoughtful aunt!

Redlass · #13 06-06-2001, 11:09 PM

Thank you. It's fun to be an aunt. I mean, I like being a mom, but there's something neat about being an aunt too.

And of course I think I have really special nieces!!

**conradd** · #14 06-07-2001, 01:58 PM

I know what you mean about being an aunt. I have had so much fun with my nieces - tea parties, girl talk, and dress up - doing things that my son would never put up with. I wouldn't trade him for anything, but he has no patience with lace and frills.

I have 3 nieces who are bookworms (ages ranging from 9-11) and I just ordered the Madeleine L'Engle A Wrinkle in Time trilogy for each of them. I hope I can wait until Christmas to give it to them. I've also given them each the complete 8-book paperback set of LM Montgomery's Anne of Green Gable series and my mom beat me to the punch with the Little House on the Prairie books. I'd forgotten how much fun Roald Dahl is to read . . . putting it on my list for upcoming birthdays. These are all books that I still enjoy as an adult.

I don't see anything harmful in series like the BabySitters Club. A little mind candy isn't going to ruin them for more serious lit later . . . and when my nieces see me reading, they usually want to know what it is. I have a harder time with Goosebump books. I read a few of them and didn't feel good about it, so I never bought them for my son. He loved anything on animals, so I bought the complete line of Jim Kjelgaard books for him.

Deb

magenta321 · #15 06-07-2001, 02:16 PM

Why not send her two books at a time and let her choose which one she wants to read? She may end up reading both (yay!) or just one. Either way, she is reading, and you will be able to have a discussion with her about the books she has read. And by giving her a choice, you ensure that it is a fun activity for her, rather than being a chore.

I would go for a range of books. At that age I was reading things like The Bell Jar and The Color Purple (not the lightest of reading). Hmm. Maybe Sylvia Plath wasn't the best thing for me to be reading at that age, however, I was out of the real juvie books.

I think I stopped reading the juvie books (BSC, Nancy Drew, etc). at around age ten or eleven. I know I was in a rush to grow up, though, so I might not have been typical. I would check with her mom and see what she is reading for leisure (if anything) and what really interests her.

Perhaps you could invite your neice to send you books she has read, as well. That might give you insight into what she likes, and could be a great foundation for book discussion.

Hope you two have fun!

Grouch · #16 06-07-2001, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by conradd
so I bought the complete line of Jim Kjelgaard books for him.

Deb

Deb,
You're my new heroine!
I devoured Mr. Kjelgaard's books when I was at that age.
To me, he was St. Paul and I was one of the apostles.

Never did figure out how to pronounce his last name, though...

Redlass · #17 06-07-2001, 03:03 PM

Tell me more about this Jim Kjelgaard. I haven't heard of him, but my niece loves animals and wants to be a vet, so it sounds like it might be a winner.

A good point is made about juvenile fiction possibly being too young for her. At the moment, though, it is what I feel safe in sending her without getting in trouble with her parents. I'm hoping, though, that she'll feel comfortable giving me real feedback so I can adapt what I send her.

I did a dumb thing though. I sent out her first package with only half her address on it. So now I'm waiting for it to get back to me so that I can send the other two that are sitting on my table. I realized what I had done after getting to work and I wasn't able to reach my husband on the phone before the mail carrier arrived.

And now I find out that her younger sister has gone through all the books that I gave her for her birthday and is looking for more--so let's hope the books I send the one niece get passed down to the next!

Hmmm, perhaps by way of adult books, I could send her a few Agatha Christies. They're still "clean," but they're adult fiction. I know I was reading Christie at her age.

**conradd** · #18 06-07-2001, 03:35 PM

Bridgette, if she's interested in vet medicine, she would probably be fascinated by everything James Herriott wrote (All Creatures Great and Small, etc.) I read his collection of short stories to Shane as bedtime tales starting at age 8 or so and they're still his personal favorites. The Farting Boxer appealed greatly to him . . . dunno how a young lady would relate to the same imagery.

The Jim Kjelgaard stories that he loved so much are mostly about dogs - Big Red, Irish Red, Outlaw Red, Snow Dog, Stormy - and are fascinating tales of the relationship between animals and humans. The author is able to completely describe the native intelligence of a dog without anthromorphizing them into Disney characters.

Deb
who thinks that only someone who speaks Swedish could properly pronouce Jim Kjelgaard's name

Dani257 · #19 06-07-2001, 04:52 PM

Maybe you should try to give a range of books from children's to young adults to adult. She might be ready for adult books, but still enjoy some younger fare as well.

I can't really recommend any adult books, except for biographies, and I don't know if she would be interested in books about Shirley Temple or Rosalind Russell

I wonder if the reason teenagers jump into adult books, and seem to skip the YA ones is because writers try to write for some preconceived idea of what a teenager should be, or what is 'good' for them rather than really speaking to the teenage mind. My interest is mainly in middle grade fiction, but I'd be interested in what YA books anyone would think that teenagers would like to read. I also know that kids like reading about people older than them, so that might also be a factor. Or do you think that for some, there might be a stigma at reading something labeled YA? Like it's almost condescending to them?

do you think I yap too much?