Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Los Angeles,CA

I think mine read it a little later - but very cute series. I didn't think he (lead) was a teenager (more a tween?). I can't recall. It's cute. I just don't think of kindergarten though when I think of it. Wait a couple of years.

Like Barb, mine read Junie B Jones, and there was some Fairy series too (with these naughty elves). The series ones always caught their attention because then they could go get a new one each week at the library.

Thea Stilton (and Geronimo) were big here too with my readers.

Magic Treehouse with another one of mine (that was a while ago).

Charlotte Web ... all those classics.

Mine loved those Captain Underpants ones (before Diary of Wimpy age).

When my oldest started reading, she read these awful books about Fairies. Daisy Meadows has hundreds of these books. They are all the same book over and over and over again, but for whatever reason kindergarten girls love them.

Both my kids loved this series. My daughter read them all in Kindergarten. I don't think its inappropriate content. It is a middle schoolers "journal" and talks about stuff that happens in middle school but its mainly about his interactions with siblings and friend. Both my kids thought it super funny. She's been rereading them for the last 2 years. It actually inspired her to keep her own journal that includes cartoon drawings which has been a great help for her in increasing her own writing skills.

Come on Mom, you know what answer you're going to get here - "You should read it yourself!!"

Seriously, any book designed for a six-year-old can be read by you in under an hour. Just flip through it. And *then*, if you have certain opinions after reading it, you'll be able to have an educated discussion (a discussion based on your actual reading) with the teacher about your opinions.

Teachers usually know what their students will like to read. As a first grade aide I saw this all the time. Those books are pretty harmless as far as content goes, the humor is appealing to young kids, especially boys. Just check one out from the library and see for yourself, there's a whole series.
Even though the books say ages 9 and up I will say that once my kids REALLY started reading books marked with their own age were usually boring to them, so I always looked at three years or so ahead as "appropriate."

Do you have a public library in your town? The children's librarians are a tremendously overlooked resource. Go explain your concerns/needs and your daughter's reading level. I'm sure this series is owned by the library, and you can borrow for free! Pre-read it yourself to calm your fears.

They probably have the Inter-Library Loan (ILL) program too, so books can be requested from other libraries in the network, but picked up and returned at your local library. Get your daughter her own library card - kids think that's a cool thing. She can also pick out her own books, or talk to the librarian herself about what intrigues her. She can also learn responsibility by understanding that books have to be cared for, returned and shared - a good skill for kids this age that transfers to other areas of their lives.

I don’t know if they still make them, but when I was younger I liked babysitters club little sister. They would be perfect for your little one. They are chapter books for girls. Very nice stories. Look into it. But diary of wimpy kid is actually a good series for children, I would let her read a few chapters and decide for herself.

I think there are so many great books I would rather see read at this age. Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Trumpeter Swan, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc. . I don’t think Diary of a Wimpy Kid is bad, but there’s so much better out there.

I’d ask to go in a different direction I think.

DOWK is a fun series, especially for reluctant readers. All of my kids hate reading and the two younger boys read every book in that series multiple times from grades 1-6 and still get the new book when it's released each fall. I finally had to put my foot down with my 7th grader and tell him that he needed to move on from that for "silent reading" but they still giggle over them at night.

That said, I don't know if I'd consider them a great choice for a precocious reader because there is far better stuff out there (DOWK really is geared towards kids who hate reading - simple language, cartoons, dumb humor, bathroom humor, etc.). I like the Beverly Cleary books like the Ramona series, or Junie B Jones, Amelia Bedelia, Geronimo Stilton, etc. If true beginning chapter books like those are too advanced, then maybe longer picture books like the "If you give a moose a muffin" series - those are beautifully illustrated and funny - or Berenstein Bears. My kids also liked beginning chapter books based on Scooby Doo.

If I were you, I'd read one, see what you think, and if you think the humor and story will appeal to her, have her start that in school but mix in other series as well. The stories are about friendship, family, are funny but ultimately warm and sweet and have a positive message mixed in with jokes about his parents, baby brother and older brother and the trials and tribulations of middle school.

I think it would be a bit mature in terms of the content, though the teacher did recommend it. What about series such as The Magic Tree House or The Secrets of Droon? Those books might be just at her level rather than being a reach, however they seem more age suitable. The Ramona series also could be a good fit and more advanced. Finally, how about children's books of Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, African folk tales, Native American tales, and so on? She might really enjoy learning about different societies' stories. Even the American Girl series could work well for her, and they introduce different ethnic groups' experiences in the United States during different historical eras. Oh, and Diane B.'s suggestion of talking to the local library staff is right on point. They can suggest books which appeal to her interests.

This series is hilarious. Reading is reading if your child is interested in the book let them.

The main character is just starting middle school, so he's about 11-12 years old. Various sources put the reading level / suggestion at ages 7+. If your daughter's skill is above her class level, this would fit. My son was also above his grade level in reading. He was 6.5 years old when the first book was published. He bought it at the school book fair.

Ebird

Have you not read them yourself?
It's a cute series about a boy growing up and learning responsibility as his life changes. The series starts out in elementary school, if I remember correctly and takes him through middle school. It goes over his troubles with his brother and family and his struggles in middle school.

it's a cute series.

I read this book when my kids expressed interest in it when they were in K/1st grade, and I didn't love the content in this book for that age group (discussion by the main character of whether girls are pretty or not, whether or not a girl liked him, etc) so I put them off for a few years. I chose not to give it to my kids that young, so I would not recommend it for a kindergartener. I let them read it in about 3rd grade and even my reluctant reader liked it (at least he was reading something other than captain underpants).

My kids read chapter books in K, and I preferred Horrible Harry books - Harry is an energetic kid with a good heart who makes mistakes and learns from them. In that way, it's a lot like the Wimpy Kid books, but without the boy-girl stuff. Junie B Jones was ok too (good themes, although the purposefully terrible grammar drove me silently crazy).

A great resource for you for this and many other types of media (books, movies, video games) is Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

It's a super cute series....but truthfully I'm not sure I would want my Kindergartner reading it. There's nothing that bad, but just some of the word choices and experiences I would have wanted to keep my Kindergartner away from, which even me writing it sounds like a bigger deal than I think it is. It's not like the experiences are super mature or anything but sometimes older kids use words I don't want my littles to use.

Other good books would be the Rainbow Fairy series. My daughter LOVED those books! There's a million of them and my daughter was happy to read every single one. I even think Baby Sitters Club would be too much for a K, but def in a couple of years. Magic Tree House, Captain Underpants, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew are all good options too.

I usually read books before giving them to my child. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid is good, but I think there are much better choices.

I would suggest the Junie B. Jones series. The Stick Dog series is a graphic novel that both my son and I enjoyed reading.

Find out what her guided reading level is and then ask a children's librarian for help. Remember the guidelines for determining if a book is a good fit.

Updated

I usually read books before giving them to my child. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid is good, but I think there are much better choices.

I would suggest the Junie B. Jones series. The Stick Dog series is a graphic novel that both my son and I enjoyed reading.

Find out what her guided reading level is and then ask a children's librarian for help. Remember the guidelines for determining if a book is a good fit.

Seems an unusual choice for a 6 yr old, but I'd be curious to know why the teacher picked that specific book. Perhaps it is the content of that particular story that she thinks your daughter would benefit from if she reads it.