Reading books over and over

[velochic]

Dd turned 9 in February.  She's a fairly typical reader of her age (based on her school mates).  She likes to read, but does a lot of other stuff too (sewing, crafts, playing outside, riding horses, helping around the house, cooking with me, etc.).  So her activities are well-balanced.

My issue, though is that I wonder about her predilection to re-read books that she finds particularly entertaining.  We went through this this past year with Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.  Before that, the Narnia books.  Before that, there were the World According to Humphrey books, Laura Ingalls Wilder books and then before that the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Magic Tree House and Rainbow Fairy books.  So, as you can see, this has been going on for years and it centers on SERIES.  This doesn't happen with single books, usually, except with non-fiction (she's read the Care and Keeping of You about 20 times in the past month or so and I truly am not exaggerating... this has led to good discussion, though, so that doesn't bother me).  Usually, she finds a series that she likes and she wants to read them over and over.  She read Percy Jackson no less than 5 times, I'm sure. Now, it's the Mysterious Benedict Society series.

Is this typical?  I don't discourage any reading at all, but I know there are so many other books she would enjoy.  She does this in her other languages, too (we are bilingual at home and she's in immersion school in another language).

What are your thoughts?  I work in a library and bring home books I know she'll like.  Sometimes it takes encouragement to start on a new series, but I never pressure her.  Should I, though?  Sometimes I think that without gentle guidance, she'd still be re-reading the Rainbow Fairy books she was enjoying 5 years ago.  She doesn't show any signs of OCD or any other disorder.  She's a smart, happy, content, well-behaved kid.

(To add... she loves the show I Love Lucy... she'd watch the same Lucy shows over and over again if I let her... and she laughs in the exact same places every time even though she knows what is coming.  *I* think that's boring, but she doesn't.  It's not just books, but media, in general, it seems.  So... is this typical?)

[FiveLittleMonkeys]

I think it's very typical.  I remember doing this as a girl - in fact, I still do it now!  I love to re-read books that I loved.  I know that all 3 of my girls do it too, as does my son.

As she gets older, she'll start branching out more (my girls are 16, 13 & 11) but they do like to come back to their old favorites.  I wouldn't worry about it!

[alittlesandy]

I just want to chime in that not only is this perfectly normal (I used to finish the Little House series and immediately turn back to the first book, lol. Drove my mother crazy!), but it's actually beneficial. By doing this, her brain is internalizing grammatical structure, and in the long run, people who both read voraciously, and re-read the same books often, are better writers than those who don't.

[Sharlla]

can you find her some long series.  I loved sweet valley twins and the babysitter club at that age

[Doodlebugsmom]

Oh, if only I knew exactly how many times I read Judy Blume's "Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself" when I was your dd's age! I do think it is very common and not harmful. However, I can see how it would be frustrating. My 9-year-old dd is an avid reader, but she would view re-reading a book as wasting her time. She's definitely a little quirky, though.

[Daffodil]

I assume it's typical.  I had books I liked to read repeatedly when I was a kid, and I'm glad I had the chance to do that.  You can't get everything there is to get out of a book if you only read it once, and you may not end up remembering it all that well, either.  I think it's great that I read The Jungle Book enough times that the stories stuck with me into adulthood.  (Repeated reading of the Happy Hollisters series probably wasn't quite as beneficial, but I don't think it harmed me.)  I didn't normally finish a book or series and immediately start reading it again, though.  I would come back to it repeatedly over several years, but read other things in between.

[Ldavis24]

hmm I still reread books a lot!

I read the entire LOTR series and then immediately restarted it just a few years ago.

I find it really enjoyable and what I notice is because of the speed at which I read (very fast) I tend to miss finer details that I pick up on the second time, or third or fourth...

The fact that she loves to read enough to reread series in my head is a good thing. I swear when I talk to high school aged kids these days they all "hate" to read and only do it because they have to. I really hope DD develops a love for reading like DH and I have.

[ollyoxenfree]

My DD is 15 y.o., and this sounds a lot like her reading habits.  She still re-reads Harry Potter and a few other series. I'm sure she's lost track of how many times she's read some of them. Sometimes the result of the repetition is really gratifying. She was enchanted by the Twilight series the first couple of times that she read it. After a few re-reads, she realized how badly written those books are, and thankfully she's over them. 

I litter the house with books that I think she might enjoy and every once in awhile one of them will hold her attention. I think you are on the right track by letting her choose her reading material but ensuring that she has lots of opportunity to try new books.

[Yuba_River]

I did this as a kid, and still have favorites I love to reread. Rereading is actually great for building fluency--it will make her a faster reader.


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[mommy212]

You are over worrying my friend. I kept a stack of books on my nightstand (still would, except I have a nook now)ever since I could read so I could re-read books over and over again. I would still being her new books, but she will find out in time that there are lots of books to read! 

[LynnS6]

I re-read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy every 5 years or so. I re-read Dorothy Sayers mysteries when I need a bit of good, but not too heavy reading.

It's comforting to re-read the same things. You know the story, you can pay attention to different details. You can relive the plot with a slightly different understanding because you know the outcome. If she's a fast reader, she may pick up on things the 2nd or 3rd or 4th time around that she missed. Re-reading probably also helps her reading speed.

Kids (and adults) re-read things because they find the themes or the ideas very powerful. My dd is currently re-reading the Mainstreet Series by Ann Martin. I have no idea what about the series is so powerful for her, but she reads it, plays it in her imaginary play (just by herself -- she'll shut herself in her room or go out on the front lawn by herself), and she talks about it.

Relax mom. Keep introducing new books. I wish that my son would re-read books! Once he's read it, he's done. It makes it much harder to keep him in books.

[velochic]

Thanks all!  I'll stop worrying.  This is something that neither I nor dh did as kids or do now, so I couldn't see the draw of re-reading. Sounds like it's typical, though.  She is a fast reader, but she has good comprehension in English.  She's slower in her other languages.

I will continue to get books for her.  It's no big deal, as I work 2 days/week and can bring things often.  It's just that sometimes, I'll be helping out at the desk, checking in books and one of the children's librarians will say, "Velo, you should take that home to dd.  She'd like this series."  (They all know her quite well.)  So I'll take it home and it sits on the shelf for weeks while she re-reading something she's already read twice.    It may never get read and I'll finally take it back to work.  I'll continue to let her do what she wants, not say anything, and bring new books as they come in.  Thanks again!

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by velochic 

  It's just that sometimes, I'll be helping out at the desk, checking in books and one of the children's librarians will say, "Velo, you should take that home to dd.  She'd like this series."  (They all know her quite well.)  So I'll take it home and it sits on the shelf for weeks while she re-reading something she's already read twice.    It may never get read and I'll finally take it back to work.  

Hey, I understand, believe me. I love reading YA fiction and I love discussing books, especially with my kids. Sometimes I read something new.  I'll know that DD would love it and we would have a great talk about it. It's tough to watch her instead re-read a book for the 6th time, rather than trying the new book. It's disappointing. Occasionally though she will read something I've brought home, and it's great. At least it isn't inconvenient for you, with your library work! 

[Llyra]

I'm a reading specialist-- that's the hat I'm wearing here. This is my best understanding of the research on reading. Re-reading books, even a thousand time, (even very easy, entertaining books), is beneficial for reading development in many ways. It is also a good predictor of a child who will grow to be a lifelong reader. The research has shown that "lifelong readers," defined as adults who have continued to read for enjoyment and pleasure throughout their lifespan, as children typically re-read a lot of "easier" books, and read a lot of series books. The research also shows that this kind of pleasure reading is linked to a stronger vocabulary, stronger writing skills, and higher scores on high school admissions tests. There is no harm in bringing home some new selections, that might possibly interest a child to expand her choices or explore new genres or topics. But in my opinion there should be no pressure-- just here, hon, I thought you might want to check these out. And there's definitely no reason to discourage or restrict re-reading.

[lindberg99]

I can't even remember how many times I read the Little House books as a kid. I still find myself bringing up examples from them now and I'm 45! And the Narnia books, I have read through that series many times as an adult and I always find something new and find that each time through, I like a different book the best.

And seriously, who could read the Harry Potter books just once?? You find so many new things each time through.

[Alyantavid]

My 9 year old is the same way.  But we go to the library often, and he goes to the library at school, so there's lots of chances for him to get new books.  There are a few books that I reread every so often because they're that good so I don't worry too much about him doing it.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by Llyra 

I'm a reading specialist-- that's the hat I'm wearing here. This is my best understanding of the research on reading. Re-reading books, even a thousand time, (even very easy, entertaining books), is beneficial for reading development in many ways. It is also a good predictor of a child who will grow to be a lifelong reader. The research has shown that "lifelong readers," defined as adults who have continued to read for enjoyment and pleasure throughout their lifespan, as children typically re-read a lot of "easier" books, and read a lot of series books. The research also shows that this kind of pleasure reading is linked to a stronger vocabulary, stronger writing skills, and higher scores on high school admissions tests. There is no harm in bringing home some new selections, that might possibly interest a child to expand her choices or explore new genres or topics. But in my opinion there should be no pressure-- just here, hon, I thought you might want to check these out. And there's definitely no reason to discourage or restrict re-reading.

Thanks for this.  Very helpful.  I have never pressured her to read something else, but I HAVE gently encouraged her.  We don't watch a lot of TV during the week and instead will sit on the couch reading.  Sometimes we like to read to each other and she *has* found new books this way in the past.  I'll just be diligent to make sure I'm not putting any pressure on her.  In the summer, she comes to the library with me a lot when I'm working.  We're usually there for 6 hours or more, so she has the time to browse leisurely.  I think it's these times that she finds new interests most often.  (During the school year, I work when she's at school, so she doesn't come to the library with me very often then.)

[beenmum]

I do it all the time.

Kids like their world to be predictable. She knows the ending. Its like an old friend.

[alittlesandy]

Originally Posted by Llyra 

I'm a reading specialist-- that's the hat I'm wearing here. This is my best understanding of the research on reading. Re-reading books, even a thousand time, (even very easy, entertaining books), is beneficial for reading development in many ways. It is also a good predictor of a child who will grow to be a lifelong reader. The research has shown that "lifelong readers," defined as adults who have continued to read for enjoyment and pleasure throughout their lifespan, as children typically re-read a lot of "easier" books, and read a lot of series books. The research also shows that this kind of pleasure reading is linked to a stronger vocabulary, stronger writing skills, and higher scores on high school admissions tests. There is no harm in bringing home some new selections, that might possibly interest a child to expand her choices or explore new genres or topics. But in my opinion there should be no pressure-- just here, hon, I thought you might want to check these out. And there's definitely no reason to discourage or restrict re-reading.


 

Yes!

[Linda on the move]

Both my kids do this.

I read a chapter of a book out loud and every night and we take turns picking out books. Both girls consistently pick books they've already read, sometimes several times. At first, it drove me bonkers because I had ideas about what the point of me reading out loud was, and just re-reading something to them that they had already read didn't fit into that. They told me that they heard it different than they read it, and they notice little things they didn't before. They also pointed out that we have pretty much the same conversations with our friends over and over and don't tire of it, and that re-reading a loved book was like chatting with a loved friend. It didn't need it to be "novel" to be interesting.

One of my DDs, when she was about the same age as your DD is now, pointed out that even though her reading comprehension was high as tested and compared to her peers, she most likely wasn't getting as much out of one reading of a book that an adult with decades of reading experience and life experience would be getting.

Harry Potter is a bit of a running joke in our family. We've all read the books to ourselves, I've read the entire series out loud, some of them twice because I re-read them out loud before movie releases, and we have the entire series on CD, which we love to listen to on long car trips. My DDs have now upload the series on CD on to iTunes, and always have at least one HP book on the iPods "for emergencies."