Let 10 yo read Once and Future King?

[Penelope]

I told him he could just read the first book, but he really really wants to read the whole thing. I am aware of the content, though I haven't read it since I was a teen and don't remember everything.

 

Read and discuss with him? Restrict until he's closer to 12 or 13?

I don't like to censor too much. I know I read many many things at his age that a lot of parents would say are over the head of someone this age, and that may be true, but I read some of them again later and enjoyed them again more than once. Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre were my favorite books at 10. :D

 

What do you think?

[my2boysteacher]

I'm wondering about this also. :lurk5:

[oraetstudia]

I don't remember objectionable content. Can you elaborate? It has been a million or so years since I read it.

[mumto2]

I read the first book with my kids when they were both under 10. No content problems at all. My son didn't like it too much but that was do to the length.

 

I think it is the perception of the book which has a lot to do with your age. I have always loved Jane Eyre. But for Wurthering Heights I adored it at 14-- at 45 it was dark and sad. I was shocked because I remembered it as so romantic. A good friend who fist read it in her mid 20's wouldn't let her 16year old read it. She had never censored anything to my knowledge. Her daughter asked my opinion and I said how much I adored the book. Her mom said dark and aweful(she has a literature masters) so I reread it. It is dark. But I am letting my 13 year old read it right now. I loved it so much when I was that age, I hope she does too. I really don't want her to miss the wonderful

[abbeyej]

Has he read the first book and would like to continue? Or does he simply assume he'd want to read them all?

[Deniseibase]

I would let him read it if he wants to. He will probably lose interest, honestly, the rest of the book is SO different in spirit and tone from The Sword in the Stone. But even if he does read the whole thing, the gruesome parts are no more gruesome than a lot of fairy tales. The 'adult' bits are toned down enough that they will probably sail right over his head, and if he's read a lot of Arthur stories already, he already knows Arthur has a child with his half-sister. It's not explicit or crude at ALL, it's stepped around rather neatly, but it IS mentioned. Pre-read it yourself, and be prepared to discuss it, and give him the choice himself.

[Penelope]

He's halfway through the first one.

 

Good point; it's quite possible ds will lose interest once he realizes the whole book will be like The Sword in the Stone. I don't know how old I was, but I remember a couple of years before I finally read it (and couldn't put it down) that I started the second book and just never got into it.