Huntsville Public Library

There are two schools of thought about the benefit to children of reading series books.

Although book sales showed that series books such as the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys were favourites of children, librarians and educators often frowned on them as being “mind-stultifying, (likely to) dull children’s interest in reading or, as one writer claimed, “Twinkie books that are neither memorable or enduring, the literary equivalent of fast food.” They were unlikely to be found on library shelves or to be recommended to young readers.

There has been a change in thinking about this based on more recent studies of readers and their habits. A 1995 study of avid adult readers found that 60 per cent of them had read series books as children, often identified a series book as the first book they had read and enjoyed, and agreed unanimously that reading series books had been a pleasurable experience.

Current studies are drawing the conclusion that series books do provide lessons in reading and that far from being harmful they might be, for some readers, an essential stage in their reading development. The popularity of series books has grown, as has their variety. Librarians and educators are now seeing series as useful tools in the development of lifelong readers.

Series books are popular for many of the following reasons: the books are attractively packaged with appealing covers and clever titles; clues to the content of the books are provided by the catchy titles and descriptive chapter headings; they are short in length, the text is large and clear with wide margins, shorter sentences and brief paragraphs; conventional first-person narrative, repetition and a predictable, uncomplicated plot pulls the reader into the book and draws him from page to page; the books have a grown-up format which suggests to the reader that he has now reached a level of maturity and has graduated from picture books; the characters and situations are easy for children to identify with, making them feel safe and comfortable; the books are affordable, allowing children to purchase them, trade them with friends, engage in discussions and share enthusiasm.

The good news is that they give the reader a sense of accomplishment and success as a reader and provide the reading practice that is necessary to developing reading proficiency.

So don’t worry if your child has immersed himself in the latest series and is speeding through the numbers of the set like wildfire. Reading is a learned skill that requires many, many hours of practice to gain high levels of proficiency. Pleasure is the greatest motivator to the achievement of this practice.

If your child is reading and enjoying it, he is probably well on his way to developing the literacy skills necessary for success in our information-based society.