To say no to the 6th Harry Potter book...

[TabbyTigger]

DD is 5. She’s just finished the first five Harry Potter books and, obviously, now wants to move onto the 6th. However from what I and other DCs remember, this one has more mature themes (romance/more detailed deaths) and is generally more complex. AIBU to ask her to wait a year or so before reading it or should I let her try and see how she does?

Cedric dies in 4. Quirrell dying was hardly traumatic! Nor the Basilisk. Children watch U films such as Bambi, Big Hero 6 and Lion King, which all have terribly sad deaths.

Dude, Buckbeak gets his head whacked off in Book 3!

Dakiara - how can you be immersed in something if you are only skim-reading it? Isn't that something you do when you want to get the general gist of a text but not be immersed in the details, or you want to find a certain key subject, or are looking for some specific part or information?

Buckbeak doesn’t get his head whacked off, they just think he has, I think?

Buckbeak doesn't die. Sirius escapes on him.

If DD was scared of the first five books I’m sure she wouldn’t be begging me for the 6th...

DD was a dementor for world book day this year Genius!

TabbyTigger, she probably doesn't really understand what she is reading. At 5 I certainly didn't understand death at all or what killing really meant. I know that the terror of having my soul sucked out by a dementor would have meant nothing to me.

Probably a good thing that she is just reading the words with no understanding at that age. I expect that's what is preventing her from being upset or distressed in any way.

Yes, that just about sums it up, MargoLoveButter. Of course children of five have no proper understanding of concepts or effects. Just as well, really.

This is argument for argument’s sake and the OP has been backed into a corner. It’s all getting a bit silly, now.

I also deliberately saved Harry for Y3 for my two. Otherwise, you are spoiling it by giving away the story arc before they can appreciate the books in their entirety IMO. Although I dare say they won't remember much at all. And who suggested Philip Pullman upthread?!
My son's school (one of the well known London indies) warns boys off reading them earlier than Y4. As well as a number of the themes being clearly inappropriate, the teachers' experience was that boys reading them (and similar) far too early slowed up on development of their comprehension/inference skills because they weren't reading texts at their level they could fully appreciate. You are also skipping loads of great stuff much better for this age group.

At 5 I certainly didn't understand death at all or what killing really meant.

She definitely understands that much. She did cry when Sirius and Cedric died - but she picked the books up immediately after. It didn’t make her scared, she just said she found it sad and we discussed death/murder in line with real life. She doesn’t understand the full implications of the dementors (and neither would I want her to) - she just sees them as the scary bad guys to the story. But I doubt a 7/8 year old would understand the full implications. They’d also just see them as the bad scary characters.

I don’t see why not fully comprehending the story has to be seen as “just decoding”. She understands enough to enjoy them - she can’t hold interest when deciding meaninglessly, her effort to read Gone With the Wind proved that (she got about 10 pages in at most). And she has given up on other books before when the story and characters don’t interest her - she never got to the end of “Isadora Moon”.

You are also skipping loads of great stuff much better for this age group.

She reads plenty of other age appropriate texts, don’t worry! This is her only advanced text. Which is why I’m stopping her here for a bit.

**Fresta: It very much depends how quickly I skim to be honest. I have a slow speed if I really want to treasure the book, right up to a fast speed if I need to quickly find information from one.

I do need to concentrate though - if I'm distracted by something I can need to re skim sections. Mostly though I shut everything out and become very focused - folks have to nudge me to get my attention and I don't hear the telly or other inputs like that or notice time passing. I also don't tend to read during the day while the kids are awake else I'd miss them getting up to mischief.

The more people post on this thread, the more it becomes apparent that lots of people haven't a clue about child development or how every child is different. So odd.

Oh dear. 🙄

My son's school (one of the well known London indies) warns boys off reading them earlier than Y4. As well as a number of the themes being clearly inappropriate, the teachers' experience was that boys reading them (and similar) far too early slowed up on development of their comprehension/inference skills because they weren't reading texts at their level they could fully appreciate. You are also skipping loads of great stuff much better for this age group

I'm not sure I'd be happy paying for that sort of advice but presumably the quality of education isn't the only thing you are paying the fees for.

My son's school (one of the well known London indies) warns boys off reading them earlier than Y4. As well as a number of the themes being clearly inappropriate, the teachers' experience was that boys reading them (and similar) far too early slowed up on development of their comprehension/inference skills because they weren't reading texts at their level they could fully appreciate

Whereas my DD’s school (a well known Northern indie 😉) acknowledge that all children are different and work with the individual to develop a reading plan for each one.

You are also skipping loads of great stuff much better for this age group

You do know that books aren’t an “exclusive”. You’re allowed to read a wide variety of genres for different age groups. I know I do!

And you pay for your son's school?!

This poor little girl is reading stories way beyond her where she cries at the character's death and her mother's reaction is to brag about it on the internet.

Here's what the clinical psychologist and expert on gifted children, Deirdre Lovecky has to say:

"1. For what age group is the book intended?
Just because Larry and Suzy can read that level book doesn’t mean he or she ought to. For example, the Harry Potter series is intended for children ages 9 or 10 on up. In fact, some of the later books in the series are too scary for age 9 and 10. These books aren’t meant for ages 5 and 6, even if children that age can read them. A child with a high reading level is a problem for parents of gifted children because younger children want to read what older children read. The trouble is, once you’ve read Harry Potter, the Magic Tree House series isn’t very interesting anymore. One concept I introduce to parents and children is the idea that there are many interesting books to read, including books below one’s reading level. After all, think of all those university graduates who enjoyed Harry Potter even though it is written for middle schoolers. Modeling the reading of all types of books can help children to broaden their point of view that books for their age group are too 'babyish.'
When selecting books for children it is helpful to know the age for which it is intended. A book written for older children is likely to address social issues and themes appropriate for that age group, and may not be appropriate for your much younger child.

1. What will the child learn from the book?

Frequently, when young children read books meant for older children, I ask how the child is handling the scary parts, the violence and the concept of evil in the book. "Oh, it doesn’t bother him or her" is a frequent answer. If this is true, it may not be a good thing. It could mean those parts are being skipped by the child or ignored, but it also can mean the child is being desensitized to violence and negative character traits. Is it really a good thing for it not to bother a young child that people are being killed in gruesome ways, or that winning at all costs is what is important? It's the context that matters. Does the child have the inner resources to process the material in a way that allows him or her to gain a perspective on the character’s world, or is the child left with a picture that violence and negative traits count more than virtues?"

This poor little girl is reading stories way beyond her where she cries at the character's death and her mother's reaction is to brag about it on the internet.

???? I haven’t bragged once. I was worried I was being harsh by restricting her reading. I’ve discovered I was too lax.

And it’s not bad to cry - we very much encourage letting emotions out in this house. She cries at Bambi too, but it’s still a film she watches again and again because she loves it. DDs (12+14) cry at books all the time. I cry at books all the time and have done from a young age. DD (5yo) also cried at Dick King-Smith’s “The School Mouse” but it’s definitely targeted at her age.

And interesting post extrastrong - most of her books are age appropriate and she hasn’t struggled to read other things since. In the last week she’s read “Utterly Me, Clarice Bean”, “Because of Winn-Dixie”, the first “Ivy and Bean” book, and tonight started the second “Ivy and Bean”.

Of course she did miss things, but she followed enough of the plot to enjoy reading them and develop an attachment to the characters - to me that is what’s important. It has also helped her cope with death in the family, so I don’t regret letting her read this far. Nothing bad has come of it.

It certainly seems the majority on this thread agree with me that stopping for a bit is a good idea - hence why books 6 and 7 are safely out of reach for now.

I wouldn't have let her read all of the first five tbh so no to book six. There are plenty of chapter books that she can read that don't have the same themes, understanding that was the initial ask she had.

The reading scheme I had at school in the early 80s aged 5-7 was scarier than any of the Harry Potter books. Tim and the Hidden People.

www.goodreads.com/series/134443-tim-and-the-hidden-people

I sincerely doubt that child psychologist has read the first three Harry Potter books. Particularly if she thinks they contain people being killed in gruesome ways.

Id also have to argue against her claims that if a child read Harry Potter too early, it would spoil other chapter books for them. What a ridiculous argument

In my experience, reading the first three Harry Potter books early has done nothing but open a child's mind to a wonderful beginning of a story and inspire imagination.

My Year 2s play Harry Potter in the playground. We also have some maths games we play as starters in the classroom that are based on Harry Potter. They absolutely love it.

Some of them still read other books

@Bettyfood - they were awesome books!

If you wouldn't let your 5 year old watch a film intended for age 15 why would you let them read a book intended for 15 year olds?