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?

My daughter just turned 6 this April and has read all the Harry Potter books, she loved them. I was worried about the more grown up themes but she didn't even bat an eye.

Tabby my DDs both read Shakespeare at 7 (not the originals, but paraphrased and illustrated stories of the plays). They loved them, and in high school they really enjoy the originals (and feel clever because they remember the plot and characters from when they are younger).

I do think OP is somewhat stealth boasty, though - surely OP realises it is not 'average' to read at that level at that age, although there are plenty of children who can!

Mrsfs How does it feel raising a super advanced genius?

I think 6 isn't so different from 5, the relationships are very tame, there's no mention of anything more than kissing. The way the relationships are written isn't super healthy, but it's written from a teenage POV. There are no mentions or references towards sex at all.

I'd say the most disturbing things in book six are the two times Harry is immobilized and invisible under his cloak- the first time Draco Malfoy stamps on his face (on purpose) and the second, he watches Dumbledore die.

Some of the flashback scenes involving Voldemort/Tom Riddle are a bit creepy, but still in the realm of fantasy stuff.

In all honesty, I think the graveyard scene in book 4 (kill the spare) and a lot of stuff in book 5 (Umbridge torturing students, the department of mysteries) is worse. IMO book 4 is where the tone really changed towards "dark". Cedric's death, to me, is the worst in the whole series, because a) it's the first real "on screen" character death and b) it's in cold blood and shows a very callous attitude towards human life.

Book 7 is obviously different again, but most of the worst stuff happens off scene, and I actually found the deaths less impactful because there were more of them- if that makes sense? Harry walking off to die is obviously not a nice scene though.

How is reading Shakespeare at 7 pretentious bullshit? We did it at school!

Maybe you’re just really thick and can’t understand that some people aren’t? I was working my way through my mums book collection at 6.

I can’t believe you are dithering over the last book given you’ve let her read the rest. The Dementors are completely inappropriate for a start.

LOL at all the jealous parents on here. Just because your kid would struggle to read and understand doesn't mean everyone else would. I learned to read at 3 and by nearly 6 I was reading whole books with chapters. It's really not that strange.

What would be the point of boasting to absolute strangers?
This thread is like one of those 'rich people aren't allowed to have problems' type threads.

I do think OP is somewhat stealth boasty, though - surely OP realises it is not 'average' to read at that level at that age, although there are plenty of children who can!

I know she’s not totally “average”, but she’s nowhere near the prpdigt some posters are making out here. She’s just learnt to read quickly and enjoys reading, like the rest of the family. She’s in year 1 at school, and I’d say she’s your standard “top” table kid. Nothing unusual.

It wasn’t intended to be a stealth boast. It was a genuine question because I was unsure regarding my judgement.

My judgement has been confirmed and I am not going to return to this thread. I’ve got plenty of books for her to read and the next Harry Potter will be waiting.

*prodigy!

I read the first 3 age 6/7 and the fourth came out when I was 7 so I read that then. I can remember it coming out and queing up at midnight.

I don't think it is totally out of the realms of possibility that a 5 going on 6 year old could understand them. They're hardly complicated in their wording.

You might want to check out the website 'commonsense media' it gives a nicely balanced view from parents and children about the sorts of themes in many popular books and films, and what age groups they seem to be appropriate for.

I don't know about stealth boasting, but I think the Harry Potter books are too mature particularly from book four for almost any five year old. I'm a bit surprised you'd even consider letting a five-year-old read anything from the first three.

Isn't the first book about how Harry survived Voldemort's massacre and then dealt with him trying to kill him again?

In fact isn't that what they're all about?

Bonkers.

How about the Rick riordan Series's Percy Jackson etc?

TabbyTiger it's great, I just need to teach her accounting and I'm set

I don't think it's out of the ordinary, she just loves stories and that is her main focus.

Oh pull the other one OP!

Im reading them with ds (7). Its a bit young really. We are only up to Azkaban. There are lots of words he doesnt know. I find it spoils the thread of the story if i explain word meanings too much.

If your dd is reading alone she is either missing out on a lot or is very intelligent to understand the words (e.g. adept, sultry, exuberant, mortified have been discussed recently), plenty of sly humour and of course the wider themes.

I do think this spoils it a bit because one of the best things about harry potter is the rip roaring storyline shock and suspense. But youve started with your dd, might as well let her finish now. She can reread them later.

I am planning to keep reading them now to ds because i think there has already been a lot of difficult scary adult stuff and hes been fine with it. I will take it book by book.

I wouldn't let a 5 year old read them, whether they could or not. The themes covered are far beyond any 5 year olds emotional capability and experience. No matter how 'gifted'.

I work in a school and often see children reading Harry potter at a young age- parent's seem to think it's some sort of 'marker' of their advanced reading skills and intelligence if they can read them young; it just spoils the proper enjoyment they could have got out of them if they had waited until the kids were 9 or 10 before starting to read them- an age when they are mature enough to identify with and empathy with the plight of Harry and co.

I’m not jealous - my dc are definitely not at that level, but I am perfectly happy that they are bright enough and progressing as they should. I was a very advanced reader myself and I’m not sure it made very much difference to my academic progress in the long run. I read my mum’s Hardy at 9 or 10 and, although I could read the text very fluently, I’m fairly sure I understood very little. I was encouraged a lot by my parents, who assumed I was amazingly clever - I really should have been playing outside and generally being a little kid. In Finland she wouldn’t have even started learning to read yet.

I've been a primary school teacher for 15 years. It is definitely not "standard top table year 1" to be able to read Harry Potter at that age.

It's not totally unsuitable, but there are so many more books mentioned in this thread that she will get more out of at this age. I loved Milly Molly Mandy and Teddy Robinson, Charlotte's Web etc. Just suggest a few more and she'll probably get into one of them and forget about Harry Potter for a while.

DD1 read them all back to back in Year 2 (age 6). I was happy with her reading them at that age and DD2 is 7 and on book 4 currently.

My children were very advanced readers. They grew into clever children and teenagers, but not startlingly bright. It's a party trick.
And it is disingenuous in the extreme to pretend surprise at discovering that the ability to read the first 5 Harry Potters at 5 is unusual.

This feels like some sort of parallel universe!

If she loves Harry Potter, would the "Worst Witch" books by Jill Murphy interest her? Obviously not as complex as HP, but they still have magic and animals in them.

If she likes reading about people and families, my eldest has been reading the "My Funny Family" series by Chris Higgins.