How old for "To Kill a Mockingbird"?

[Dmmetler]

One of the teens in our homeschool group has been cast as Mayella Ewell in a local theater production of "To Kill a Mockingbird". I know DD loves watching her friends on stage. I'm wondering if a (then) 8 yr old could handle this as a shared reading/discussion book, and then seeing it on stage this Spring? I think she'd relate to Jem and Scout-it's the reasons behind the court case that give me pause. She's an accelerated learner and an advanced reader with a strong sense of "That's wrong!"-but if anything is a little "young" for her age in some ways.

[Chrysalis Academy]

We did TKAM last spring, when dd was 9, for very similar reasons - it was going to be shown in our local theater, where she has performed, and it was a great opportunity for her to get to see a local production with local actors, and there was a Q&A with the director and actors afterwards. Given all this, I decided to do it as a read aloud discussion, then go see the play together. I am *so* glad that we did - it was one of the best things we've done so far. She completely related to Scout & Jem, of course, and loved the book passionately. We had very insightful and deep discussions about hard issues - rape, racism, incest, love, self-defense, murder, justice. It is heavy stuff. Only you can know if your dd is ready to have those conversations with you, but if she is ready to handle it, this book is a great way to open that door between you. Once you have read and discussed things, I do think seeing the production is fine - it isn't graphic or anything.

 

Trust your gut; start the book; if she is riveted rather than disturbed, keep reading. If the discussions go well, go see the play. If you feel at any point that it's pushing it, and she isn't able to understand what's going on or discuss it with you, just close the book and put it aside for a year or two. At least that's my advice.

[Lori D.]

How familiar are you with the book and/or play version? And how comfortable are you with your student being exposed to / you discussing with your student some mature topics?

 

The story is set in the 1930s Deep South, and while the first half of the novel (and the play) has a lot of humor and focuses on the children's "hijinks", the story builds and deals with topics of racial inequality; racism; a threatened lynching; a lengthy court scene in which a man is accused of rape & battering (eventually revealed to be a father's abuse of his daughter), ending with an attempt to attack/murder the lawyer's two children in revenge for the court case.

 

In the play, most of the second half is set in the court room and would likely be difficult for an 8yo to follow. And the climax scene in which the guilty man stalks the children in a very frightening manner with the clear intent of killing them -- yikes! At least, in the production we saw, the lighting and music really intensified the threat to the children -- plus seeing them as real-live children on stage, just a few feet away from you rather than a movie on the TV screen... *I* would not have felt my DC at age 8 could have handled that...

 

We were able to see the play as a student matinee, and the audience got to stay and speak with the actors afterwards, which helped a LOT with the teens being able to separate the actors and their real personalities, and their real-life friendships, from their on-stage personae.

 

 

You know your DC best for making this decision. BEST of luck, whatever you decide! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited November 13, 2012 by Lori D.

[Farrar]

I personally would save it as a book without a question. It's such a good book with so much depth that even if a child could get something out of it at age 8 (and I'm sure some could) they wouldn't get nearly as much as at age 12 or 13. I think it's just worth waiting on.

 

But you might decide to see the show anyway without reading it yet, depending on whether you think your dd could handle the themes.

[NittanyJen]

We are about to start reading TKaM with DS9 and 11, then watch the movie with Gregory Peck. I think for my kids it will be fine; we have no difficulty discussing those issues.

 

We have already read "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" and "The Well," so we have some history of discussing tough subjects.

[Elizabeth in MN]

No, I would not have an eight year old read the book or do it as a read-aloud with discussion. That book should be, to me, too much to deal with at that age.

 

Here and I let my dd read all of The Hunger Games books at the age of eleven.

[Chrysalis Academy]

No, I would not have an eight year old read the book or do it as a read-aloud with discussion. That book should be, to me, too much to deal with at that age.

 

Here and I let my dd read all of The Hunger Games books at the age of eleven.

 

And I won't let my 10 yo near them with a 10-foot pole . . . ;)

 

It's impossible to make a call like this for someone else, isn't it? Only you know your kid and what they can handle vs. what will disturb them.

[Harriet Vane]

I adore TKaM but there is no way I would expose an 8yo to this one. 8 is just too young for rape and the kind of malicious violence this book includes. Also 8 is too young to appreciate the many layers of this book. Study it when the child is older--they will understand better and have a better experience analyzing it.

[mom2att]

I usually come down on the "wait till the child is older" side of discussions like this, but I had to chime in on this particular one because I distinctly remember my mom reading this book to my older sister. Sis was in 9th grade and having trouble with it, so mom read it out loud. And of course I listened in as well. I would have been in 3rd grade at the time. I remember being transfixed with Jem, Scout, and of course Boo Radley, but the deeper and more disturbing themes were lost on me. This is also true of my viewing of the Gregory Peck movie--I took away what my 8-year-old brain was able to process and chalked it up as a good story.

 

That said, I have of course read TKAM many times as an adult. What began as just a good story as a child remains one of my favorite books today--for many more reasons than the fact that it's a good story.

 

To the OP--if your child will definitely be seeing the theater production, I'd give the book a whirl, as a read-aloud with parental discussion (and editing if necessary).

[LBoogie]

For what it's worth, I read it by myself when I was 12 and it became my favorite book for the rest of my life.

[trinchick]

I won't offer any advice about the appropriateness of the book for your child. I don't think my own 7yo dd is ready for it and like a previous poster said, I'd like to save it for a time when she can fully enjoy it and understand its nuances.

 

However, I want to put a plug in for the audio version of the book, read by Sissy Spacek. I recently listened to TKaM as my commuting book and was absolutely blown away by the reading. She did a wonderful job with the voices, accents, pace.

 

I listen to a ton of audiobooks, and this was hands-down the absolute best audio version of any book I have ever heard.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I won't offer any advice about the appropriateness of the book for your child. I don't think my own 7yo dd is ready for it and like a previous poster said, I'd like to save it for a time when she can fully enjoy it and understand its nuances.

 

However, I want to put a plug in for the audio version of the book, read by Sissy Spacek. I recently listened to TKaM as my commuting book and was absolutely blown away by the reading. She did a wonderful job with the voices, accents, pace.

 

I listen to a ton of audiobooks, and this was hands-down the absolute best audio version of any book I have ever heard.

 

:iagree: completely! After we read & discussed the book ourselves, but before seeing the play, we listened to this, mostly in the car. Sometimes we would get home, and end up sitting in the driveway for half an hour because we couldn't stop listening!

[NittanyJen]

I personally would save it as a book without a question. It's such a good book with so much depth that even if a child could get something out of it at age 8 (and I'm sure some could) they wouldn't get nearly as much as at age 12 or 13. I think it's just worth waiting on.

 

But you might decide to see the show anyway without reading it yet, depending on whether you think your dd could handle the themes.

 

This is where different things work for different families.

 

For a book with this much depth, reading multiple times at different ages has its advantages as well :)

[freeindeed]

TKAM is my favorite book, but IMO an 8yo is too young to read it. There are mature themes that are best dealt with at an older age. I would say, on the average, a child should be at least 12 in order to read it.

[Deee]

Its my guess that if this book wasn't American many of you would feel differently. TKAM is a big part of your culture, and I think its fabulous that this very frank story is so well read (we are still in denial about much of our past in Australia) but in my not very humble opinion, its not Ok to present an 8 year old with ideas like rape, incest and domestic violence. This is not a child's book. The fact that you have to ask probably means you already know the answer. I don't mean to sound narky, but I feel really strongly about this. She will be a child for such a short time. Savour it.

D

[Rhonda in TX]

I would wait. In fact, I did purposely wait until high school for my kids to read this book, mainly because I wanted them to experience it for the first time when they could better understand the whole story. DD (14) just finished it and absolutely loved it.

 

There are so many wonderful books out there for kids when they are younger, I don't see the point in rushing it. JMO, of course.

[briansmama]

I'm looking forward to reading this with my ds, but there is no way I would want to burden him with the heavy themes in this book. We will read and discuss this when he's in his early teens.

 

I am also coming from a Waldorf-inspired background, which is based heavily on developmentally-appropriate content and exposure. So, I often err on the side of caution when it comes to books, movies, and topics of discussion.

[Donna]

My dd(10yo) is reading it now. She is an accelerated learner and doing an advanced literature course where it is one of the choices of books and is the one she chose. She is fine with mature topics.