Would you let a 9yo read all of the Harry Potter books?

[Just Kate]

I had originally planned to allow ds to read the first three books. I just gave in and let him read book four (which he devoured!). Of course he is now begging to read the rest of the series. Not sure if I should allow him to or not? He is not a particularly sensitive child, although he did comment that the ending of book four was sad. Thoughts?

[*********]

Well no, my nine year old wouldn't be reading any of them. But that's *my* family.

 

Do the books get scarier as the series progresses?

 

My advice is, you know your child best. Pre-read the books if you haven't already. You know your child, and you'll know if the material will bother him or not. If you decide 'no', be honest with him about why, and perhaps tell him that he'll be able to read them some time in the future, but not now.

 

My $0.02.

[Lady Florida.]

I think the end of the fifth book as well as the whole final book would be very difficult for a nine year old, but if he's not sensitive maybe he can handle it. If you've read them, you know the last three are very dark, but at least the end brightens up.

[EKS]

I let my younger son read them when he was 9. He cried at the end of one of the books (probably the one you mentioned), but he also cried when Rome fell at the end of SOTW.

[Jann in TX]

I had my dd stop after book 3 when she was 9. At 10 she read book 4 and finished the series at 11. We also held off on the last 3 movies until after she turned 11.

 

Just because a book is on a child's reading level does not mean the CONTENT inside is!

 

It was so much easier with my older girls-- they both had to WAIT for the next book to be WRITTEN!

 

-- I had a high reading level when I was in 4th grade. I read books that I wish I would not have (adult content)-- even though they are considered 'classics'. Some 'classics' are best left to more mature readers!

[----]

.

[Mrs Mungo]

What else has he read? There are loads of other great books out there that are written more on a 9 yo level. Why rush it? I was lucky with my eldest because she actually had to wait a year or two in between books. With my other kids, I waited until they were 11. They develop a lot in terms of what they can deal with between those ages, IMO.

[Library Momma]

I am a huge fan of the HP books and I have read them quite a few times. Aside from a scene in book 5 that is not for the sensitive, involving a lake of essentially dead bodies that attack the main characters, I wouldn't stop a 9 yo from reading them. However, I do think there are many themes (especially in the later books) that would go over their head.

[Butter]

Most definitely! My kids have all seen all 8 movies (yes, that includes the 4 year old - and multiple times each at that). My oldest has read the books at least once herself. I read them aloud to the kids about 3 years ago.

[Jennifer3141]

I've done almost everything Clara has but we only made it through book 4 as a read aloud. So I would say, YES.

[Alice]

My son read them sometime in the last year, I think he was 8. I had originally planned to have him wait but his best friend was reading them all and I knew his friend would tell him all about them. Other than ruining the story, I thought that some of it might be more scary if you just heard the dramatic scary parts without the rest of the story.

 

I think you do have to know your child. My son is somewhat sensitive, but things that are very unreal don’t bother him. He gets into the story and is a little scared while reading it but he never had nightmares or seemed disturbed by what he read. He doesn’t believe that a lake of dead bodies is going to attack him. It’s not that he doesn’t have imagination, he spends half his play time in some kind of imaginary world. But he knows where the line is and he’s not worried that the things he reads are going to be real. On the other hand, he gets very very bothered by stories involving real people being mean or stories where kids do things that they shouldn’t and there are consequences. I’ve had to be more careful when thinking about historical fiction to give him or realistic fiction. The few times a book has really made him sad or disturbed has been when it’s something real.

 

ETA: In some ways I still wish he had waited or been the generation where the books came out slowly. There wasn’t anything I wished he hadn’t read but I think as the characters get older there was a lot of the story he missed. At 8 he didn’t really understand all the teenage romance stuff. He understood it on one level but it was completely foreign to him. So I do think that in some ways the story is richer for waiting.

[Dana]

I am a huge fan of the HP books and I have read them quite a few times. Aside from a scene in book 5 that is not for the sensitive, involving a lake of essentially dead bodies that attack the main characters, I wouldn't stop a 9 yo from reading them. However, I do think there are many themes (especially in the later books) that would go over their head.

 

 

I think that's in book 6.

 

We've been doing the books as family read-alouds... basically one a year after finishing the school year :)

I think when a child is reading the books himself, he can stop if it gets too scary.

We refused to let our son read ahead at 7 and 8. I don't know if we'd have let him read at 9, but now at 10 we're getting ready to start book 7. Book 6 was tough for him at 9... but if you've preread the books, yeah, I'd let a 9yo read them.

[Serenade]

I didn't let my boys read beyond Book 3 until they were 10. I thought the graveyard scene with Voldemort at the end of Book 4 was really creepy and scary. For me, that part bothered me more than anything else in the series, and that is why I made them wait. Once they hit Book 4, I let them go on and finish the series.

 

I have very few rules about books and what the boys can read. The two I can remember at the moment are the Harry Potter one I mentioned above, and no Hunger Games until 12.

[Library Momma]

 

I think that's in book 6.

 

We've been doing the books as family read-alouds... basically one a year after finishing the school year :)

I think when a child is reading the books himself, he can stop if it gets too scary.

We refused to let our son read ahead at 7 and 8. I don't know if we'd have let him read at 9, but now at 10 we're getting ready to start book 7. Book 6 was tough for him at 9... but if you've preread the books, yeah, I'd let a 9yo read them.

 

 

 

Ooops I think you're right. I think of them as one story so sometimes I can't remember where one ends and the next begins.

[Joanne]

Yes, I would. I do not censor books.

 

I believe in self censor, and parental discussion and involvement.

[dirty ethel rackham]

When my boys were younger, we held off after book 3 because all my friends told me that they get darker. We got book 4 as a gift but I hid it in my room to wait until later. I think oldest found it when he was 10 or 11 and then he just went at caught up. I had allowed dd to read the first three when she was 8 (she went from struggling through Pathway readers to reading HP overnight.) Next think I knew, she had finished all 7 books. I had wanted her to wait, but she seemed to handle it well. I think being the younger sister of 2 brothers, she was exposed to things earlier than I would have otherwise. She is probably my most emotionally intelligent child ... probably the highest EQ of anyone in this house:). While the overprotective mom part of me says wait, each child is different.

[Kim in Appalachia]

We listened to all of the books during car rides. My youngest son was just 6 at the time, next son was 9. They had no problems with the books. But it really depends on the child and the family. We all watch Doctor Who, my youngest has seen or heard older shows/movies/books because he's the youngest and has gone along with the rest of the crew. Also I do read the Blue Fairy books, (and the Yellow) to my kids when they are little. They get used to grusome early. :)

[Ipsey]

My daughter finished the first 4 when she was in 2nd grade. She tried the 5th and realized it was. . .not what she was looking for. She tried again in 3rd grade and finished the whole series in 4th grade (probably 9 years old). She was ready then and enjoyed them all.

 

It depends on your child. Do you have reason to believe the story will some how affect him negatively that he won't be able to work through with you? Are there themes you feel unable to address with him?

 

She was much more disturbed by Julie of the Wolves, honestly. It just depends on your kiddo.

 

I tend to go with Joanna: I expect them to self-censor, basically, and they're still at the point where they listen to my suggestions. For instance, if my children wanted to read some Stephen King, I'd suggest they not and that they wait and tell them why, and, frankly, they're still at the age they accept that. My children are quite conservative in a lot of ways though we're not religious. If they absolutely insisted they read some, I'd make King suggestions, and say that I'd like to read it with them and we could discuss it.

 

Frankly, I'm pretty sure if we started on, they'd choose to put it aside rather quickly, but I'd let them come to that themselves if they had to.

[kitten18]

Yes, my dd finished all the audio books shortly before she turned eight. She is not sensitive to stuff in books and movies and nothing in te HP books bothered her.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I didn't think I would, but I started reading the first one to the kids when my youngest was six. They couldn't wait for the subsequent books, and they weren't nearly as afraid of things as I had been as an adult reading the books. :lol: So, I read all them to the kids by the time ds2 was 7.

[mumto2]

I think you should read them first so they can talk to you as they read. That being said we read them the year they were 9 and 7. I did feel a bit pressured into letting them read then because we were in th process of our move to the UK where everyone had read them. Very popular there then. I made it into book 6 out loud and could not continue at the speed they demanded. They finished them on their own.

[mommymilkies]

Yes. Even my 5 yo has them memorized! Obviously, it depends on your kids, but we love HP here and it's never caused any night,area or problems. I did, however, have the littles leave the room when the Inferi scene was on for the 6th movie. There's a difference between watching and reading, kwim?

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

Each 9yr old is different. MY children have free range to the HP books no matter the age but none of mine are sensitive readers. Last year my dd was 7 and we listened to all the HP audio cds and watched al the movies. She had no problem with the darkness since goodness prevailed. You know your child and know what has upset him in the past. Use that as a baseline. If you choose to let him read it, forewarn him that it gets dark and people die. Watch how hw is reacting to the reading and be open to discuss. One thing, I personally believe you should have some knowledge of the books if it is a series of books that are questionable in some form or fashion, this way you know what is in them and how to discuss it with your child.

[piraterose]

I am reading the Harry Potter books as an read aloud to my soon to be 9-yo DD (though she has read ahead in some bits of the book on her own). We started the series in second grade when some kids in her class started a Harry Potter Club (she was in an advance class). She is now in 3rd Grade. We just finished the Goblet of Fire yesterday, which meant she could watch the 4th movie for the first time yesterday. We own the whole movie series, but I have not allowed her to watch a movie until we've finished the corresponding book. It took us 18 months to get through the first 4 books. I expect #5 will take us through the end of the summer and we will read 6 & 7 while she is in 4th grade. Harry Potter is very big in her crowd, so she's already spoiled about some of the story aspects, so I see no reason to put off the books, or she will be completely spoiled before we finish. We started the books when she was 7 and I expect to finish when she is just past her 10th birthday.

 

BTW - my daughter is a HP fanatic. She owns two wands, a cloak, and we went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at IoA for her birthday last year. This year she is having a Harry Potter Triwizard Tournament Pool Party for her birthday in April (we live in South Florida).

[jhschool]

No. I wouldn't.

[Just Kate]

Thanks everyone! I have read the books myself, so if I allow him to continue reading I can talk through the darker parts with him. I do wish now that I had waited a bit to let him start the series. I think he would get more out of them (especially the last two) at age 11 than at age 9. But he is enjoying them so much...and flying through them! I seriously can't believe that my just-turned-9 year old just read a 700 page book! And this was my kid who was a late reader. Funny how that works out, isn't it?

 

Also, for ds' birthday, he found a Harry Potter Hogwarts Lego set on ebay and used all of his bday money to buy it (this was his only present). It should be delivered today. He is so excited to build it and to play HP. I am excited for him that he is enjoying this world and enjoying reading so much. Even yesterday, he spent the afternoon at my parents' house with my dad. My parents have cable and they always have shows DVR'd for my kids to watch. However, instead of watching tv, he spent the afternoon reading. He finished book 4 last night.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I'm still trying to work through what I think...but for now I am leaning toward letting him read the rest of the books. I won't let him watch the movies though. As a PP stated, there is a difference in reading the books and actually seeing the images on screen.

[aggieamy]

What a timely question! DD is sitting beside me reading book 4 right now and I was wondering how we should proceed. I suggested book 4 to her and she's enjoying it. If she picks up book 5 to read next then I'll let her but I don't plan on suggesting it until she asks for it.

 

I've also let my 8yo watch all the LOTR movies so I might be much more lax than some parents here. I try to avoid s#x and adult topics more than scary fantasty things.

[JessReplanted]

Yes. I made my son wait until he was 9 to read the books, but then he had free reign to read them all. He read them all so quickly, I'm pretty sure he'll go back and reread them in a few years.

 

(I love Harry Potter.)

[JessReplanted]

My daughter finished the first 4 when she was in 2nd grade. She tried the 5th and realized it was. . .not what she was looking for. She tried again in 3rd grade and finished the whole series in 4th grade (probably 9 years old). She was ready then and enjoyed them all.

 

It depends on your child. Do you have reason to believe the story will some how affect him negatively that he won't be able to work through with you? Are there themes you feel unable to address with him?

 

She was much more disturbed by Julie of the Wolves, honestly. It just depends on your kiddo.

 

I tend to go with Joanna: I expect them to self-censor, basically, and they're still at the point where they listen to my suggestions. For instance, if my children wanted to read some Stephen King, I'd suggest they not and that they wait and tell them why, and, frankly, they're still at the age they accept that. My children are quite conservative in a lot of ways though we're not religious. If they absolutely insisted they read some, I'd make King suggestions, and say that I'd like to read it with them and we could discuss it.

 

Frankly, I'm pretty sure if we started on, they'd choose to put it aside rather quickly, but I'd let them come to that themselves if they had to.

 

 

That is an upsetting book!

[tammyw]

Yes, but I've read them all as well. My daughter (just turned 10) has read them all several times. She loves Harry Potter (so do I!) and I felt fine letting her read them. She had read the first three when she was younger, and then I made her wait a while until she read the others. But she is a mature reader, so I was okay with it.

[Ipsey]

Thanks everyone! I have read the books myself, so if I allow him to continue reading I can talk through the darker parts with him. I do wish now that I had waited a bit to let him start the series. I think he would get more out of them (especially the last two) at age 11 than at age 9. But he is enjoying them so much...and flying through them! I seriously can't believe that my just-turned-9 year old just read a 700 page book! And this was my kid who was a late reader. Funny how that works out, isn't it?

 

Also, for ds' birthday, he found a Harry Potter Hogwarts Lego set on ebay and used all of his bday money to buy it (this was his only present). It should be delivered today. He is so excited to build it and to play HP. I am excited for him that he is enjoying this world and enjoying reading so much. Even yesterday, he spent the afternoon at my parents' house with my dad. My parents have cable and they always have shows DVR'd for my kids to watch. However, instead of watching tv, he spent the afternoon reading. He finished book 4 last night.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I'm still trying to work through what I think...but for now I am leaning toward letting him read the rest of the books. I won't let him watch the movies though. As a PP stated, there is a difference in reading the books and actually seeing the images on screen.

 

The lovely thing about books is that you can re-read them. So, he won't understand everything at 9. But if he loves the story, he'll go back again and again. Growing _with_ a book is Such a Joy!

 

I read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time when I was in 6th grade, and there was So Much I didn't understand. But I loved the story anyway--that of it I could understand. And as I read it again and again, in 8th grade. Every year of high school, and even in college (and it's a book I re-read every 5 years of so as an adult) I still love and see more in.

 

I remember when I first understood the lynch mob at the jail. When I could first understand the "morphodite" snowman. The casual, acceptable racism at the missionary ladies' tea. Why, "Stand up, Scout, your father's passing," is such a powerful, tear-inducing moment.

 

It's like looking into the sky and seeing nothing, and then blinking so your eyes, and your eyes adjust in depth perception, and you realize there's a flock of birds right above you.

 

That's why I love reading, and why I think one shouldn't necessarily wait until they can understand "everything" in a book before reading it.

[Free]

My DS started the series when he was 7 or 8 and finished the series by the time he was 9 y.o. He has re-read the series several times since then (and currently re-reading it yet one more time). I think it depends on the child. If your child is not overly sensitive and he is begging to continue then he may be ready.

[vonfirmath]

I am a huge fan of the HP books and I have read them quite a few times. Aside from a scene in book 5 that is not for the sensitive, involving a lake of essentially dead bodies that attack the main characters, I wouldn't stop a 9 yo from reading them. However, I do think there are many themes (especially in the later books) that would go over their head.

 

 

Isn't book 5 the one where Harry is angry the ENTIRE book? I can hardly reread it now and it was hard to get through the first time! I believe the lake of dead bodies was book 6.

[Desert Rat]

Yes, I would. I have a 10 yo. We've read them all a couple years ago. He's seen all the movies.

 

But, that's *our* family. I am far more liberal with reading materials than many others are.

[Ipsey]

 

Isn't book 5 the one where Harry is angry the ENTIRE book? I can hardly reread it now and it was hard to get through the first time! I believe the lake of dead bodies was book 6.

 

 

Ha! My friend refers to 5 as "Harry Potter, the Angry Years"

I think that's why my daughter didn't care for it on the first attempt.

 

Big-time teenage angst. :)

 

I never thought of the beings in book 6 as dead bodies, exactly. But, yes that was in book 6.

[Unicorn.]

Yes, I would and did. I don't do a lot of censoring- I wouldn't let them read Nora Roberts for instance, but barring explicit novels, they can pretty much read whatever they want. As for HP- i found book 4 to be the darkest and most disturbing. If your 9 yo has already read that, then I don't think there is any reason not to let him read the rest. jmho

[Delirium]

Yes, I did.

[catz]

My 8 year old is currently reading book 7 with my DH. My oldest had read them all by 8. I think he's doing go around #4 on the series right now. My kids, and especially my oldest, has an ability to understand themes in books beyond his years and not be sensitive about content. I think everyone knows their own child best. If you have not read them, I would before handing them off. The last 3 books get darker.

 

ETA - my 6th grader is currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird. :)

[dangermom]

Both my girls read them at 9. I would have liked to wait longer, but as it happens they weren't scarred at all.

 

The oldest is a bookworm and wanted to read the first one when she was 8. I knew that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to withhold half the series from her once she started, so I put her off for a while. There are lots of great books out there, after all. Then she read the entire LOTR trilogy without my knowledge, and, well, I figured after that the horse was out of the barn.

 

The younger was/is more of a reluctant reader, so I let her read the first ones when she wanted, about a year ago (maybe more). I knew she wouldn't want to read them all at once. She is nearly 10 now and only just read 5-7 a few weeks ago. She had already seen the LOTR movies by then. She wasn't thrilled with #6, and thought Harry was a pill in #5 (which he is, but justifiably! I think Harry's anger in 5 is very realistic).

 

Younger is a funny kid; she will happily watch orcs in LOTR, no problem. Old Star Trek or Doctor Who episodes with guys wrapped in bubble wrap or goofy rubber costumes terrify her.

[Firefly]

The Harry Potter books are the reason my son is an avid reader today. He learned to read on his own very early, but never really like to, which mystified me. Then he found the HP books and he couldn't put them down. I still have this image of him trailing behind me in the grocery store with his nose buried in a HP book. It never occurred to me that he might be too young (I think he was 6 at the time... maybe 7?) until one day he was finishing up Book 4 at lunch and didn't seem himself. I finally asked what was wrong and he said something sad had happened in his book. I asked what it was and he said "A boy died." We talked about it more and it wasn't so much the death of the boy but the father's reaction that effected him. At that point I figured I needed to read the books as well, so I did (and am now just as big a HP fan as the kids are :))

 

But, looking back I feel that it was a good experience... for the first time he'd become vested in characters and resonated with a great read; he learned that sometimes books make you laugh and sometimes they make you cry. That's the beauty of losing yourself in a book!

 

I will say though, like other posters above, you know your child best of all. Go with your instincts!

[Karen in CO]

I'd do back flips if my youngest wanted to read them. I think oldest had the best reading schedule because he had to wait a year for each one. Dh and ds spent more than few late nights waiting in lines and then going to release parties. It was a good way to read them. We were able to keep middle child away from them until she was 10 then she inhaled them. Youngest is working hard to catch up because of a vision problem. If she wanted to read them today I'd be super happy. I had very different ideas about when they were appropriate until I had a kid with reading trouble.

[bettyandbob]

At 6 ds read books 1, 2, and 3. I made him wait a year for 4. If 5 had been out I probably would have let him read it at age 7. I think age 9 would have been OK for the last 2 books.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Of course I'd let them if they are interested.

[regentrude]

Yes.

[HRAAB]

All my children started the HP books when they were 8. Some finished the series when they were 9/10, a couple are still reading them at 11/12. So, yes, I would let a 9 yr. old read them.

[unsinkable]

If you are looking for a few books to slow him down, has he read Eva ibbotson's books, (secret of platform 13, etc)?

 

 

[Seasider]

Nope.

 

Of course your child may be skilled enough, and fearless enough, to tackle the reading. But there are adult themes - unrequited love, loss, sacrifice - that are rich. I believe the later novels would be more thoroughly appreciated in the teen/young adults years.

[Luanne]

NO

[LeslieAnneLevine]

Yes, I would.

I had read all the HP books aloud to my son by the time he turned 9. I wasn't trying to rush anything; he asked me to read them and I did.

[ccolopy]

Yes. Ds had read them all by that point. He's since reread them at least 5 times each, so I wouldn't worry about what he's missing by reading it early.