A just got a new set of Scholastic Book order forms in his backpack, and once again I'm struck by how little they appeal to me. A huge number of the books are movie tie-ins: High School Musical 2 and Hannah Montana loom large; there's also Alvin and the Chipmunks, and The Golden Compass in picture-book format, complete with replica alethiometer.
There are some books that I wouldn't mind buying, but they tend to be bundled with books that I either don't want or already own: Newbery Award winners, boxed sets of Artemis Fowl (I only need one more to have the set; I don't need #1-4!), etc.
At the risk of sounding like an old curmudgeon, back when I was a kid, there were tons of great choices. I don't remember non-books being an option, but there are tons of them now (an American Idol Event Planner, Bratz fashion design pack, Spymaster voice disguiser to name a few).
I want to encourage my kids to choose good books, but they are so few and far between that I don't think that this is the right venue.
1 comment:
Yes, I agree JNJ. My kids are past the monthly flyers at least and at the middle school, there's usually a twice a year book fair. I had found the flyers were full of computer software and bundles, as you said, of books we usually already had. What happened to the 95 cent deals of my youth? I do think the bookfair concept is a little better, they usually have lots of books for all reading levels and the teachers put up wish lists if you want to purchase a book for their room.
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