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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

536 replies

TabbyTigger · 26/04/2018 17:20

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?

OP posts:
UserV · 26/04/2018 18:46

That's impressive reading skills for a 5 y.o.!

Then again, my 2 girls were 5 or so years ahead of their time with their reading by 6 or 7 ish.

Not sure I would want my 5 y.o. reading the last 2 books.

Maybe another 2 years?

I am sure there is a recommendation that they should be over 8 anyway to read the books - I mean the last 2 especially.

Lilyhatesjaz · 26/04/2018 18:50

I battled through the later ones in my 40s because they were just so boring

UserV · 26/04/2018 18:51

People who are refusing to believe the OP's 5 y.o. girl has read the first few Harry Potter books, must have children who are not as academically advanced as her child.

It's usually a sign that people are bitter and jealous when they come out with the snide remarks that some are coming out with on here.

Of COURSE a 5 y.o. can be capable of reading them, especially girls, as they are often way more advanced than boys.

Just because YOUR child cannot read so good at 5, don't be bitching about it and refusing to believe someone else's child CAN read really well.

Instead of bitching and crowing, go read to your child, and encourage them to read out the words too! Hmm

UserV · 26/04/2018 18:55

And calling @tabby 'pretentious' for reading shakespeare at the age of 7 is just making people look jealous, bitter, and pathetic. I was reading Enid Blyton then, but I am still impressed and in awe of her. I'm not thinking 'smug twat' like some are. Hmm

Childrenofthesun · 26/04/2018 18:58

I said upthread that I'm a teacher. I've taught hundreds of children so have a good frame of reference. I have never encountered a year 1 child reading Harry Potter. There are generally fewer than half in Year 3 who could read it. There are obviously parents on this thread whose children could do so but don't pretend that it's a common ability. It is exceptionally advanced reading and no parents should feel that their child is a poor reader because they can't read it.

littlepeas · 26/04/2018 19:00

no parents should feel that their child is a poor reader because they can't read it.

Well said

Original poster
TabbyTigger · 26/04/2018 19:01

People who are refusing to believe the OP's 5 y.o. girl has read the first few Harry Potter books, must have children who are not as academically advanced as her child.

Thank you. I know she’s academically advanced - but she’s not special. She’s clever, yes. But no cleverer or more advanced than her older sister and brother, and no cleverer or more advanced than I was. We’re an academic family of book lovers, and that’s not a “stealth boast”. It’s a fact - I’m not proud of her because she’s clever and likes books, I don’t think it’s something to boast about. I’m proud of her because she’s kind and caring and funny, and she tries hard at everything.

Another child on this thread is the same age as her and has read all 7. There are plenty of other kids who would be capable of reading them, just as there are plenty who aren’t.

Thank you to those giving book recommendations - most of them I do know about! She’s reading the Clarice Bean series now!

OP posts:
PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 26/04/2018 19:02

I think I was given the fourth when I was about seven (when it had just come out), so I read the first four then — I don’t think we’d heard of them before that.

Personally I found the first chapter terrifying and am glad I was older when the others came out. I don’t think reading them one after the other starting at the age is ideal.

I was what would probably be called an advanced reader, but I read a lot of Enid Blyton, and things like Animal Ark and the Home Farm Twins as well as more classical books.

Do you have the Charlie Bone books by Jenny Nimmo? That’s another magical school set. I remember her coming in to talk to us. Other authors who visited were Adele Geras, Eoin Colfer and Hazel Townsend.

Original poster
TabbyTigger · 26/04/2018 19:03

no parents should feel that their child is a poor reader because they can't read it.

I never inferred that. Saying my child isn’t special isn’t the same as sayings every other child is behind.

OP posts:
UserInfinityplus1 · 26/04/2018 19:04

People who are refusing to believe the OP's 5 y.o. girl has read the first few Harry Potter books, must have children who are not as academically advanced as her child

Shows your own stupidity and ignorance then as reading ability has absolutely nothing to do with academic advancement.

NapQueen · 26/04/2018 19:04

She may well be able to read most of the words and decode/guess the rest. But the whole plot of the story, the comprehension of the themes and what not, will be well beyond her.

What about Roald Dahl?

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 26/04/2018 19:04

Not sure what happened in my second paragraph there — I’m trying to say that when I read them you had to have natural gaps, so you got older as the characters did. If you read them one after the other, the characters will age seven years while you age a couple of months, so you won’t be able to identify with them as well.

Original poster
TabbyTigger · 26/04/2018 19:04

Thank you UserV. I read Shakespeare because I came from a family who owned very few books - they were all maths and science mad. Shakespeare was one of the few texts available to me. I didn’t understand it all but I enjoyed the stories and it hasn’t ruined my enjoyment of the texts later on.

OP posts:
scottishdiem · 26/04/2018 19:08

So she has already coped with the fact that Harrys parents are dead. That the man who murdered them is after Harry. The death of Sirius Black has just happened.

And you are worried about upcoming deaths...

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 26/04/2018 19:10

I had a lovely illustrated Shakespeare compendium. Something like that might be nice?

I loved fairy tales, and re-written fairy tales too (Philip Pullman did a few).

The My Story series are quite good. They’re not always completely historically accurate, but good for getting a feel for a time period, and they’re written from a child’s or teenager’s point of view.

Original poster
TabbyTigger · 26/04/2018 19:10

And you are worried about upcoming deaths...

I think the nature of Dumbledore’s death is far harder to stomach than the others - it’s much more confusing. She cried when Sirius died and asked a lot of questions when Cedric died, but in light of a cousin’s death I think it helped with the processing, which was why I let her read book 4 after some dithering.

OP posts:
Original poster
TabbyTigger · 26/04/2018 19:11

I had a lovely illustrated Shakespeare compendium.

We have a Quentin Blake one! It’s gorgeous. They’re very very abridged versions so she could definitely start on them Smile

OP posts:
strawberrypenguin · 26/04/2018 19:12

No you're not. We've read the first 2 to our 6yo. He's been told he can have the third one and then has to wait a year or so for the next ones. The themes get darker and more adult as the series progresses

Flicketyflack · 26/04/2018 19:16

I think you should look at some Homer or Geoffrey Chaucer that may stretch her Wink

sirfredfredgeorge · 26/04/2018 19:17

The complexity of the language in the HP books is not that large, it's for kids still, the first 3 or 4 books are certainly of the same order as Matilda or The Witches or other Roald Dahl, and in the context of the earlier books where familiarity allows you to access more complicated books than you would under a completely unrelated book. So it's quite odd to hear disbelief that the books are accessible to the kid and then a recommendation that books which are just as complicated suggested!

The idea that there will be themes that the kid doesn't get due to age, that's true, all the teenage angst will be less relateable than if read as teenager, but that will be true at 9 too, and it may well never be relateable if your path is completely different. Certainly I can't imagine you avoiding the films or spoilers from friends until you're old enough to actually relate to that angst.

I can't personally see any reason why you'd prevent them reading a book in the middle of the series, the time to intervene was before the first or when anxiety hit. You're really past any surprises by book 5 though as has been said. There's no reason it's going to be more enjoyable at 7 than 5.

totallyrandom · 26/04/2018 19:18

My son first read all the Harry Potter books at the end of reception (over the summer, he had just turned 5). He is still completely obsessed with Harry Potter and has read all the books many times over. I suppose he gets something new from them every time he rereads them. He just loves reading like his older sister and his favourite books on his shelf he has read many times (so has she, it is their way of relaxing). I don’t think it spoils it for him reading anything “too young”. He is quite mature emotionally and not really phased or scared of many things. He loves reading the news too- I can recommend the Junior Week. He started reading that weekly age 6 and it teaches him a lot about the world I find as well as great vocabulary.

Dulra · 26/04/2018 19:22

LEMtheoriginal my dd is dyslexic too she's 10 now. Her reading has improved but her relationship with books hasn't. Any tips to help her enjoy them?

Op my dd3 is also 5, 6 in july I am in Ireland so she is in your equivalent of reception, ort stage 1 still for her. I am in awe that a child her age is reading harry potter Shock

CadyHeron · 26/04/2018 19:31

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. At the age of 5, I'd have been reading books like those if they were around then I'm old as as reading from the age of 4.
She'll be able to read the words but there's no way she's going to be understanding the concepts behind the themes in the series, I personally would have left it a few years until she can appreciate and understand it properly.

Imustbemad00 · 26/04/2018 19:52

Seriously? My child is in reception and I don’t know of any who have moved on from the biff and kipper books yet 😳. What children do you know where it’s normal to read harry potter books at age 5, are the time all geniuses? My child is 6 in a few months and on stage 3 biff and kipper books, my older child was more advanced but still nowhere near that level. I’m strugglong to believe this is true..

TheKimJongUnofFeminism · 26/04/2018 19:58

"no parents should feel that their child is a poor reader because they can't read it.

I never inferred that."

No, but others might have done.....

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