What did you read in elementary school?

[Anonymous]

Why the hate for Magic treehouse? They are wholesome kids solving mysteries in historical contexts.

Little house had racist comments about native Americans

Calvin and Hobbes …Calvin made almost exclusively poor choices around his house.

Encyclopedia Brown had his friend Sally literally beat up anyone that was mean to him and Bugs Meany was his eternal bully.

Old doesn’t automatically mean better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an elementary aged reader and maybe it’s snobby, but I’m shocked at the crap that these kids read. They are encouraged BY TEACHERS and LIBRARIANS to read this crap.

Dog Man, Magic Treehouse, The Bad Guys, Unicorn Diaries. So many spelling and grammar errors. So much bad writing.

I remember reading Wayside School is Falling Down and Judy Blume’s Fudge books. They were a little junky, but also had great qualities that I don’t see in today’s popular titles.

What did you read as a younger reader? And what do you think about what your kid is reading? Am I just a snob?

I read Animorphs.

[Anonymous]

Haven't read Dog Man with my son, but read all the Captain Underpants, and I love them. They are hilarious and my son and I get a kick out Harold and George's adventures. Also, the author, Dav Pilkey, was diagnosed as a kid with ADHD and dyslexia and struggled in school - and his imagination led him to write comics. Harold and George, I think, embody some of Pilkey's struggles as a kid trying to fit into the structures of the education system. My son also has ADHD and can relate to the stories. In fact, the Captain Underpants series led him to create his own comic books. No, they aren't "classic," but a lot of the classics (and trust me, I've read them all, I read voraciously as a kid and have a PhD in the humanities) are pretty problematic - and some recent books too. One thing I hate is how so many authors use a character's appearance, esp. their weight, to signal "virtue." Look at Roald Dalh's use of that trope, and also J.K. Rowling for that matter.

My son and I have recently read a few more contemporary series that are more literature-esque that I found pretty engaging, The Wizards of Once, Septimus Heap, Unicorn Rescue Society, Land of Stories, and some of the Rick Riordan stuff (Percy Jackson etc.)

It's not one or the other. Kids can enjoy both, and so can you! =)

[Anonymous]

Not OP, but to the pp asking about Johnny Tremain—I loved that book! And also A Door in the Wall and Adam of the Road.

I bought copies of all of these books second hand, and leave them around for my son. If he’s bored enough, he reads them too.

It probably helps that I loved these books as a kid and re-read them even now, so my kids see me reading them too. DS 9 and I recently (re)-read the Redwall series together. He thinks it’s hilarious when I sneak into his room at night to finish a chapter when he’s still reading it.

My younger son (DS 6) doesn’t enjoy this stuff nearly as much, so I don’t push it. If he wants to spend his efforts looking at Lego books, that’s ok. To me, this kind of esoteric reading is a hobby just like watching football or playing basketball. I don’t expect my kids to enjoy it just because I do. However, just like football fanatics, I do include them in my pastimes and let the kids decide if it’s something they want to pursue too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an elementary aged reader and maybe it’s snobby, but I’m shocked at the crap that these kids read. They are encouraged BY TEACHERS and LIBRARIANS to read this crap.

Dog Man, Magic Treehouse, The Bad Guys, Unicorn Diaries. So many spelling and grammar errors. So much bad writing.

I remember reading Wayside School is Falling Down and Judy Blume’s Fudge books. They were a little junky, but also had great qualities that I don’t see in today’s popular titles.

What did you read as a younger reader? And what do you think about what your kid is reading? Am I just a snob?

My 5th grader just read the Wayside series and loves the Ramona books. She also enjoys Nancy Drew, so maybe you should be guiding your kid and helping them pick out books at the library instead of just relying on teachers and librarians to do it for him. That's, you know, part of your job as a parent.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure your parents thought the Sweet Valley High and Babysitter's Club stuff that you read as a child were crap, too, LOL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure your parents thought the Sweet Valley High and Babysitter's Club stuff that you read as a child were crap, too, LOL!

Mine absolutely did!

Look, if kids are reading for enjoyment, that is a win. I read with my older elementary kids most nights, and that’s where we tackle harder books together- but I’m fine with them reading graphic novels and everything else as long as they are reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure your parents thought the Sweet Valley High and Babysitter's Club stuff that you read as a child were crap, too, LOL!

Mine absolutely did!

Look, if kids are reading for enjoyment, that is a win. I read with my older elementary kids most nights, and that’s where we tackle harder books together- but I’m fine with them reading graphic novels and everything else as long as they are reading.

Wholeheartedly agree with this post. We do the same.

[Anonymous]

A few I haven't seen mentioned yet that I loved:

Robert Newton Peck, Soup
John Christopher, The Tripod Trilogy
Eleanor Frances Lattimore, Little Pear

I also read a fair amount of garbage--Kathy Tyers "The Truce at Bakura" being one of my favorites in fourth grade...

[Anonymous]

I read Clan of the Cave Bear in ES. And Footloose (yes, the book). A students parent turned me in for that one. As it turns out, Magic Treehouse would have been better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids like repetitive books. I remember Goosebumps and the My Teacher Is An Alien and Babysitter Little Sister and American Girl books being obsessively read in my elementary school. Get them hooked on stuff you like, but if you can find something with a long slightly repetitive series you’ll have better luck displacing the magic treehouses of the world.

I distinctly remember the age where I realized all the Redwall books I adored were actually virtually identical books. I try to read my kid Good Books, but I also don't begrudge her her crap. Older generations had their formulaic Hardy Boys and Happy Hollisters and this generation has Dogman. Most adults don't read only great literature either.

+1. I remember reading Happy Hollisters as a kid and loving it (I'm not actually that old, we found it in some used bookstore somewhere). My mom gave it to me and I looked through it again and was pretty horrified. The kids were so mean! It was so poorly written!

I read all my dads Happy Hollisters as a young kid- I don’t remember them being mean at all! (This is to say- it’s weird what you remember because I’m sure you’re right that they aren’t great). I’ve been sad by how much fat shaming an namecalling are in all of the Roald Dahl books