They may not be able to go the mall without their parents' help, but the tween crowd is a big market.

America's tweens independently spend $51 billion, money they get from a variety of sources like gifts and allowances, and they hold considerable sway over the additional $170 billion spent directly on them each year, according to 360 Youth Network, a youth-orientated marketing group.

That's something Hollywood has realized for some time, producing shows aimed directly toward the 8- to 13-year-old demographic. With two young daughters myself, a 7-year-old and an 9-year-old, I've seen for myself the many different options on television for tweens, with Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel leading the way.

Disney Channel has found a hit unlike any other in "Hannah Montana," which stars Miley Cyrus, the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. The "Achy Breaky Heart" hit maker co-stars in the series as Miley's father and manager.

The show has spawned hit soundtrack albums, tons of DVD and other product sales, as well as the hottest concert tour in America. It's so big, in fact, it almost makes the phenomenon that is "High School Musical" and its sequel this past summer look small in comparison. Almost.

Dan Schneider, who once starred as a teen himself as the wisecracking nerd Dennis Blunden in "Head of the Class," a show I watched actively in my own "tween" years, is at the heart of many of Nickelodeon's greatest tween hits over the years.

He is the creator and executive producer of such hits as "All That," "The Amanda Show," "Drake & Josh," "Zoey 101," and, his latest hit, "iCarly."

You may not recognize many of those shows, but if you have a child, chances are they know the lines and theme songs to many of them by heart.

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Tween show executive producer Dan Schneider sits between actresses Emma Roberts (left) of "Unfabulous" and Jamie Lynn Spears (right) of "Zoey 101" at a media appearance on July 23, 2004, in Los Angeles.

Schneider understands the attraction of these type of shows, as he explained in a recent New York Times Magazine interview:

"When you're a kid, most of the time you're being told to shut up by adults. In school: be quiet. Your dad's watching a show: be quiet. Even the kids who seem to have a lot of freedom, their lives are pretty controlled. So what I try to do on my shows is to have kids come out on top. They're the smartest ones in the room. They're the ones in charge."

While, for the most part, tween shows are the domain of children and children only, don't be so sure there isn't something in some of these shows for the parents as well. So using my own experience with today's hottest tween shows, let's take a look at some of the best the genre has to offer. Maybe next time your "tween" tunes into "Drake & Josh" or "Hannah Montana," you can see what all the fuss is about.

10. "Avatar: The Last Airbender": This animated series has earned rave reviews for combining beautifully produced animation along with complex, well-thought-out storylines not commonly seen in children's television. Appealing to both boys and girls, it follows the journey of the "Avatar," a hero legend tells will save the world. The show has proved so popular in its short run so far that Nickelodeon parent company Viacom is planning a roller coaster with the show's theme at the new theme park planned for the Mall of America in Minnesota.

9. "Cory in the House": This relative newcomer to the tween scene has already shown to have some staying power. Maybe because it's a spin-off of the Disney Channel's hit "That's So Raven." It stars Kyle Massey as the son of a cook who becomes the executive chef at the White House and while the premise and some of the plots may seem unrealistic to parents, it's worth giving a chance.

8. "Bindi: The Jungle Girl": Bindi Irwin, the daughter of the "Crocodile Hunter," the late Steve Irwin, stars in this Discovery Channel show aimed at children of all ages. In each episode, Bindi, who shows remarkable poise and talent for a 9-year-old girl, introduces the audience to new animals from her tree house at the Australia Zoo.

7. "Mythbusters": There is more than enough for the whole family in this Discovery Channel hit. The hosts spend each show breaking down a long-held myth, either proving or disproving it by show's end. They usually blow something up or destroy something along the way. I never thought of this as being a big tween hit until my 9-year-old daughter became engrossed in it and told me several of her classmates love it as well.

6. "Kim Possible": What's the "sitch" with this Disney Channel animated show, as its teen crime-fighting cheerleader may ask? It's zany enough for the younger audiences, has some teen angst for the tween crowd and is just absurd enough for the adults taking a peek. If you've ever laughed at the "Naked Mole Rat Rap" while your kids listen to Radio Disney, this show might be for you.

Michael Buckner/Getty Images for HRTS Miley Cyrus has hit the big time as her alter-ego "Hannah Montana."

5. "iCarly": This show only premiered this fall, but it's already won the hearts of everybody in my family. It stars Miranda Cosgrove, who is known to tween viewers as the younger sister on "Drake & Josh" and the scene-stealing student in Jack Black's movie "School of Rock," as the star of her own Internet variety show. Its first few episodes have been uneven and you never want to go with the dream sequence/dance episode so early in your show's run, but it's shown more than enough promise to climb the charts.

4. "Hannah Montana": Starring Miley Cyrus as a normal high school girl who by donning a wig transforms into the singing superstar "Hannah Montana," this show has proven so popular with all ages. Maybe it's the presence of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus as Miley's father and manager that is roping in older audiences as well.

I'll admit, when I first watched an episode of the show with my two daughters, I cringed. Its humor can be, well, let's just say less than funny. And the "disguise" that Hannah Montana wears is about as convincing a disguise as Clark Kent's glasses and slicked back hair. But the show has grown on me. There are little moments here and there that make me laugh, and the positive messages in most episodes have led me to realize what a great family show this is and why it's so popular with the tween crowd.

Nickelodeon Josh Peck (left) and Drake Bell star in the Nickelodeon show "Drake & Josh."

3. "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide": My daughters have been watching this show for what seems like forever, even though it's actually only been on for three seasons. My daughter's puppy love crush on the show's star, Devon Werkheiser, who plays the title character, Ned Bigby, aside, it's a fun show. It too is big on the absurdist and over-the-top humor found in many tween shows, but in my view that's also what makes it so entertaining for audiences of all ages. I am not ashamed to admit that I actually watched an episode On Demand the other night all by myself.

2. "SpongeBob SquarePants": This one's tricky since its target audience isn't the tween audience. The show is designed for a younger audience, but viewers of all ages have found the little yellow sponge and his pink starfish and glass-dome-wearing squirrel friend irresistible.

For the week of Oct. 22, 2007, Nielsen had three episodes of SpongeBob in its top 10 cable television shows, each of them more than 3 million viewers each. The show sprinkles in absurdist humor and references to the likes of French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec to keep it interesting for adults.

1. "Drake & Josh": Some might disagree with this one being at the top of the list, especially with the surging popularity of everything Hannah Montana, but this show is the first "tween show" I remember watching with my daughters. It stars Drake Bell and Josh Peck (maybe it doesn't hurt his character's name is also Josh Nichols) as two classmates who couldn't be any different who are forced to learn to live with each other when their parents marry. Now wrapping up its fourth and final season, this is a show that will thankfully live on in reruns for some time.