Opinions on the Bobbsey Twins books ...

[Luanne]

negative or positive? For about what age?

[Marie in Oh]

she enjoyed them. They were the original -- not redone. I think they are a bit higher quality than Box Car and the like-- maybe along the lines of original Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys-- maybe even a bit better than that.

[Julie Herbster]

I own the entire hardback vintage set from my childhood. My dd read the whole series when she was in 2nd/3rd grade. She also liked the Boxcar Children. My 8yo ds (who voraciously reads Boxcar Children) hasn't delved into the Bobbseys yet.

[ticklbee]

I took one of these out of my library a few months back. I think they would be really good to use for vocabulary words as the author used more sophisticated language then I think we are accustomed to in children's books.

My dd (10) struggled a bit with them and she's a good reader. We returned it without finishing it. But, I would definitely use them again if my aim was to increase their vocabulary. I had taken it out for dd's pleasure reading but she wasn't getting much pleasure out of it. :001_smile:

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

negative or positive? For about what age?

Typical racial attitudes for their day, depending on the edition you buy. I skipped them at our house. (Though I didn't forbid them, but would have discussed them pretty thoroughly if they were being read.)

[Carol in Cal.]

There is some casually assumed racism against African-Americans that I found offensive as a kid. I stopped reading them when I noticed that, and that was lo these 40 years ago. Can't imagine giving them to DD. She would probably erupt or something. The updated ones might be worth checking.