Also, you might find this site useful, which levels children's books for you with just a title. Just mark the parent box at the front page, and then on the next page you type the title of the book, or the title of the book series. It brought up the whole series when I typed "Jigsaw Jones Mysteries". BL stands for book level.
Keep in mind that if a book is within your child's interest level, it could be anywhere from several months below grade level to a year or so above grade level. As long as kids are reading a good portion of their material at or above their grade level, a few lower books aren't going to matter. The bulk of a student's new vocabulary words come from your read alouds, which should be two grade levels above your child's reading level, or higher, depending on interest level. Never abandon the read alouds! They work to increase vocabulary even in high school students.
Now, about that Jigsaw Jones mystery review I searched for. Here is an excerpt from it, relating to one of the books:
The first thing I didn’t like about it was the use of the word, “Yeesh,” throughout the book by the main character. This was just part of a slightly bad attitude that showed towards his teacher. After the teacher reads a couple love poems, the main character thinks, “Give me a break, I mean who talks like that anyway? Yeesh.”
I want to instill a love and respect for Shakespearean literature in my children. This book is counterproductive to that end.
Further, the teacher instructed the class to write their own love poems. The character thought, “Me? Write a mushy, gushy love poem? Oh brother.” I want my children to do what their teacher says and I want them to do it cheerfully with a good attitude.
I looked for reviews because I brought home four Jigsaw Jones mysteries from our library, hoping to move Peter beyond this OCD reading slump by offering a faster-paced, shorter book. While the Boxcar Children are definitely good books, some of them contain slow moving chapters, which can frustrate an afflicted boy struggling to get through text....at least right now.
Some writers are experts at weaving a tale, others are good at structuring sentences or writing dialogue, and still others are good at pacing. Rarely will you find mastery of all the elements constituting good fiction. When you do find it, it's usually in the later works of a prolific author really interested in the writing craft, and not just the selling market.
I have a unique dilemma with my Peter. In order for him to approach conventional spelling, I need to use a solid spelling program consisting of sound families and sight word review. More importantly however, I need him to read a large amount of print. If he's not seeing the sound families over and over in context, as well as the sight words, his spelling woes will continue. Isolated spelling lessons aren't enough practice for strong auditory learners, IMHO.
Similarly, a chapter or two a day of required reading isn't going to move him much further either, in terms of spelling mastery. I need volume from him right now, without pushing it on him. Without any pressure.
So, can I really deny Peter a fast-paced, enjoyable book--one he'll be glad to devour--just because it contains the word "yeesh"? Or because the character dislikes love poems? I wish I could! I don't adore fluff literature any more than the next mother, but I'm committed to helping my children get hooked on books, for many compelling reasons, as long as their own character isn't compromised.
Junie B. Jones--a character many Christian mothers despise--doesn't offend me because I think the author makes it clear that Junie B. is not to be emulated--she's no hero. She's so silly and naughty and out of touch, that she's funny in an Amelia Bedelia kind of preposterous way.
I would be bothered by a sassy character my own child was encouraged to emulate or look up to. Whether that character is the boy from the Jigsaw Jones series or not, I can't tell yet. I've decided to have Peter read the first book aloud to me (since he's reading aloud anyway, right now), so I can neutralize any less-than-stellar aspects of the characters' personalities. If by the end of the book I'm not comfortable, we're back to the drawing board. It seems to me that Peter was affected by this OCD thing for about a month the last time. If I can just keep him reading through this one....
Hopefully we can go back to the Boxcar series after this. Since many of that series were written decades ago, the kids are respectful in a Laura Ingalls Wilder kind of way. Times have indeed changed, and not to the advantage of discerning parents. This whole reading material thing is one very tedious issue! I love me some picture books! It was so much simpler when my kids were younger!
It's my responsibility, and my pleasure, to expose my children to great works of literature, but I don't expect them, at ages 7 and 9, to choose only classics for their pleasure reading. I certainly wasn't choosing Charles Dickens-caliber books when I was nine years old. In fact, I didn't start reading for pleasure at all until the fourth grade, with my run of Nancy Drew mysteries. That hooked-on-books miracle helped me excel in school for years to come. There's no question that reading a lot changes things.
The mother quoted above goes on in her review to make some solid points, to her credit. She is obviously a very caring mother.
