IF THEY READ NANCY-DREW, SO WHAT - SERIES BOOK READERS TALK BACK

This paper investigates a type of reading material that has inspired t he love of beginning readers for almost a hundred years: the series bo oks. Section one draws on the history of publishing to examine ninetee nth century forerunners of the twentieth century series books for chil dren-the story papers, dime novels, and cheap libraries-as the context for a century of publicly conducted worry over series books. The seco nd section, which examines the experience of the intended readers of s eries books, is based primarily on transcripts of 142 open-ended inter views with adult readers who read for pleasure. The third section look s at the texts themselves as evidence for how series books teach begin ning readers about the process of reading itself-strategies for making sense out of extended text. The article concludes that series book re ading, far from being harmful, might be for some readers an essential stage in their development as powerful literates.