The B.Y. Times (for kids)

Sanguine

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 6:02 am

OK - Don't laugh at me. I am trying very hard to get DD (14) to read an English book this summer. We have a very limited English library here and our kids read English way below their American grade level. But our kid's brains are up to age level.

Most our English books in the library are just donated when people are done with them (all the great best sellers just a few years late).

So I found this book "The B.Y. Times - Shani's Scoop". My daughter just finished 8th grade. The reading-level looks manageable for her but I wonder if the story is interesting for her age.

Does anyone know about The B.Y. Times series? Is there a series or was the first book a flop?

My other choice is "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret". Very Happy

tigerwife

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 6:06 am

I think there is a whole series about the B. Y. Times. It is similar to The Baker's Dozen, which I liked reading as a kid. I don't think it's on 8th grade level- maybe more like 5th- but maybe that would work for your daughter?

m in Israel

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 6:20 am

There is a whole series (I think about 16 or 17 books), and it was reasonably popular when it came out. Not exactly high literature, but adequately written and I think they are interesting enough for an 8th grader. The main characters are in grades 6th through 8th. If you want something non-Jewish to compare it to, I'd say it is probably similar to The Babysitter Club books (of course minus the boyfriends Wink

).

Basically an 8th grader decides to start a school newspaper, and the books are about the "adventures" of newspaper staff. Each book ends with a "newspaper". Some of it is somewhat dated (in the books, the first newspaper episodes are typed on a type-writer -- it is a big deal and a whole part of the storyline when they actually get a computer to use for their newspaper), but your daughter may actually find that interesting. I think book #4 takes place during the Gulf War (one of the staff members parent's are Israeli and they go visit them and end up in Israel doing the whole gas masks/sealed room stuff).

Sanguine

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 6:54 am

Good reviews - I'll try to convince her to try it. The level doesn't look too hard for her (her vocabulary is lower than a real anglo too). It would have been better if there were some pictures (gives you some half pages). I actually have #1 in the series but I have a feeling that that will be the only one here. We're not a BY community so I don't see grandparents from America bringing more of these. (If she likes it I'll actually ask my parents to bring, but that's wishful thinking - She really doesn't like reading but I'd go for #4 next). I see they sell them here in Israel too.

Wish me luck in trying to get her to read (I remember the summer that we did the times tables Sad

)

Sanguine

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 8:10 am

alittlebirdie wrote:

I tried them for my israeli 6th grader. It was too hard for her- grammar and vocabulary

My "6th grader" just finished 8th so maybe it will be good for her now.

Nice Avatar

Sanguine

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 9:35 am

studying_torah wrote:

I liked them as a girl as well.
Are you open to her trying non jewish books?

Do you know me?? A BY book really isn't our style. Doesn't matter anyway. We have a very limited English library here. You can't look for a specific book. You take what's there and then decide if you want to read it. I was surprised a BY book was in our library. It means that someone got it from a visitor and now it's here.

ILOVELIFE

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 9:43 am

such memories! I was actually thinking of having my 4th grader read it but I know I'd bop her over the head if she didn't like it since I'm attached to that part of my childhood (BY Times, Baker's Dozen, Kid Sisters....) We waited for each book to come out and ran to buy it when it did.

I wonder what I would think of the series as an adult but as a kid I was glued

OOTBubby

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 10:06 am

It seems you want your Hebrew speaking child to read them in English on her level, correct? The English vocabulary isn't the simplest, but she might be okay. You might also be interested to know that some of these books (I know I've seen some of the Baker's Dozen books) have been translated into Hebrew.

Chayalle

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 10:21 am

My girls read maybe the first one of BY times and Baker's Dozen, then told me they are boring and all the same.

But whatever, you are just up to the first, so maybe she will read it.

Sanguine

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 10:23 am

When I was in elementary school (in the '70s) girls read "The Bobsey Twins". I didn't read them cause I really wasn't into reading till even past HS, but that was the popular series then. Since our English library basically works on donated books so someone donate the entire Bobsey Twins series so I took one out to see if my daughter would read it. It was sooooooooooooo boring. The world works so much faster now so books, TV shows and movies just move so much faster. The books that you loved as a kid may not interest your daughter. If you read detective novels it's so frustrating when the detective has to find a pay phone to make a call.

Sanguine

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 10:31 am

OOTBubby wrote:

You might also be interested to know that some of these books (I know I've seen some of the Baker's Dozen books) have been translated into Hebrew.

She doesn't need it in Hebrew. She reads Hebrew books which are at her level and interest. But for me, I like to read detective paperbacks. My rule is that I'll only read NY Times Best Sellers. I try to read Hebrew books but they don't have that NY Times Best Sellers rating so a lot of time I can find good English books in our library that have been translated. So I take out both. I read the boring part in the beginning in English and then jump over to the Hebrew book. Then I know it's a good book cause it's a NY Times Best Seller.

studying_torah

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 1:10 pm

Sorry sanguine, I often enjoy your posts but don't keep track of who reads what.
I loved bobbsy twins but was disappointed to read the modernized versions; our library doesn't have the originals. I found one in my mother's house and my kids were sooo bored by it...

Chayalle

Fri, Jul 17 2015, 3:08 pm

I loved the Bobsey twins when I was young...up to like age 10 or so. My parents had most of them - the old version. Along with the (old version of) Happy Hollisters, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Three Investigators, Trixie Belden, etc...did I miss anything? But those are for pretty young kids, you get bored of them later on.

amother

Purple

Sat, Jul 18 2015, 10:08 pm

If I remember correctly Are you there g-d, is quite educational. Think s-x educational. Make sure you skim it to make sure you're ok with her reading it. that said my girls found bakers dozen way more exciting than by times. I was so disappointed I waited for each one to come out and they thought it was boring!