If I had a dollar for every time a caregiver approached me to express their concern and/or frustration at their child’s addiction to a certain book series, well, I’d have a whole bunch of dollars. It’s no secret that young readers can be intensely loyal to their favourite series, whether it’s the Rainbow Magic fairy books by Daisy Meadows, the Geronimo Stilton books (and all their related spin-offs), Erin Hunter’s Warriors series, or any number of other extremely popular and extremely extensive series.
Now, I’ll be the first person to admit that these books typically have the literary nutritional value of cardboard. Take the Rainbow Magic books, for example. The plot of every single book is EXACTLY THE SAME. I’m not being dramatic here. The plots are literally exactly the same from book to book. The evil Jack Frost steals a magical item from a fairy, and the two human protagonists must retrieve the magical item and give the fairy back her powers. EVERY SINGLE BOOK follows this formula. Quality literature this is not.
But it’s precisely this consistency that makes book series so attractive to young readers (and, for that matter, to adult readers). Children thrive on repetition and routine, and series provide all that and more. The predictable plots can be extremely reassuring for young readers, providing the consistency they crave. Children can open any book in their favourite series and know with some certainty what is going to happen. If only life could be that dependable.
And then there’s the characters. Children can become intensely attached to fictional characters (again, so can adults, for that matter), and long series allow them to revisit their favourite characters again and again and again. Each book is an opportunity to reconnect with an imaginary friend who can feel just as real to a child as any classmate or neighbour.
As for the literary nutritional content, caregivers are often concerned that their children are reading books that are “below their level” or “too easy for them”. While the overall vocabulary level of a series might indeed fall below what a child can effectively comprehend and decode, this could very well be exactly why the child is so drawn to it. Being able to breeze through a book can be a tremendous confidence booster to a child! This can be particularly important if a child is struggling in another area, or if learning to read was a bit of a challenge. What a thrill it can be to burn through book after book, like a real reader! While it’s important that children be encouraged to challenge themselves, don’t forget how important it can also be for a child to celebrate these every day successes.
Finally, there’s the pure joy that can be found in reading a favourite series. Think of all the adults who devour each new book by James Patterson or Danielle Steel. Are these adult readers reading “to their level”? Not necessarily. Are these books repetitive and formulaic? Oh, most definitely. Is there anything wrong with this? Not at all! Reading can and should be a pleasure, and should not be constantly tied to academic measures, outcomes or standards. Life can be stressful, even for small children, and reading can and should provide a healthy escape from the everyday, whatever the vocabulary level of a given book or its literary measure.
And friends, I know from whence I speak. I have been a passionate, obsessive series reader most of my life. As a child, I bounced from series to series, binge-reading Sweet Valley Twins before moving on to Saddle Club, The Boxcar Children or Goosebumps. I was a shy, anxious child, and these books provided me with reassurance, comfort and entertainment. I could live through the characters I met in these books, and imagine myself part of their exciting, friend-filled lives. I was nothing like the beautiful and popular blond twins Elizabeth and Jessica of Sweet Valley, and there were no Goosebumps ghosts or ghouls in my neighborhood, but through these books I could live out all sorts of adventures, safe in the knowledge that no matter what happened, everything would turn out alright in the end. And I went on to become a widely-read librarian and published author!
So, to all those concerned caregivers, all I have to say is this: respect your child. Respect them enough to let them read what they want, and understand that while their motives for choosing reading material might be very different from yours, they are no less valid.
And remember that every phase eventually passes. Even when it comes to Geronimo Stilton.