To have to post on here

[LesleyA]

Rather than under MN topics if I want a quick/better response?
Which then I feel bad about cos isn’t juicy/in genuine need of support etc. advise?
Was recommended Common Sense Media by fellow MN which I’m thoroughly enjoying using. Under this and in other reviews ‘the girl who drank the moon’ is for 10 year olds to read. I find the words very advanced (some I don’t know and have a degree). Are 10 year olds really able to read stuff like this? Very worried as thought my kids were getting a very good education but there’s no way if they read this to themselves they’d understand it. Just at the beginning (and yes I’m reading it to them as I’ve started reading to them as a fabulous loved way to get them to enjoy books and spend quality time - judgement in this not required please ) interested to hear if anyone else found it a tough start. Looks like it will be a wonderful read though.

Actually the standard of reading probably has slipped a lot over the years tbh as children now have so many other things to do than read. Over lockdown my 7 year old was reading The Animals of Farthing Wood novel and I was surprised how “difficult” it was in terms of word choice and depth of descriptions etc. It was a real challenge for him and an enjoyable one, but it did surprise me as I remembered it as a children’s book. But I would be surprised if many adults nowadays used to chic lit and crime novels (For example I was shocked to read a Martina Cole book recently and each bloody chapter only lasted 2/3 pages!) would actual be able to read it!

I’ve a smart 11 year old. She could easily read those words but there are quite a few she wouldn’t know the meaning of. I’d suspect many adults couldn’t tell you what a fulcrum was.

I've just read a few pages online. I can't say I enjoyed then, I'm not keen on the style or the genre.

With the words you weren't familiar with, were you able to get the meaning from the context?

The author of the book aimed it at grade 5, that is 10 years old. She discusses this on the Goodreads forum. If you don't have a Goodreads account you need to make one to read this link, <a class="break-all" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28110852-the-girl-who-drank-the-moonwww.goodreads.com/book/show/28110852-the-girl-who-drank-the-moon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.goodreads.com/book/show/28110852-the-girl-who-drank-the-moonwww.goodreads.com/book/show/28110852-the-girl-who-drank-the-moon but it's free, and if you're an avid reader you totally need a Goodreads account! I save the books I've read and want to read there and when I am looking for something to read I just look on my Goodreads list for something that appeals to me that day. There's also all kinds of little book clubs on Goodreads that you can join to talk about your favourite books and authors.

YABU. Chat gets an equal amount of traffic and would be relevant to your query.

That's a lovely thing to prioritise, reading with your children. If they lose interest, audiobooks are great when you are in the car or around the house doing chores. Mine listened before they went to sleep, but that was before tech was such a distraction. I don't know whether kids would, now.

I think people have been a bit sniffy here, to be honest. Don't be put off and don't worry- just keep it fun.

Language has changed hugely- Tom's midnight garden, the secret garden, railway children, three children and it- most kids would find them heavy going these days. You need to sit and read for ages at a time, which few people do these days.

The words you listed are not everyday words- even the ones which are rooted in common words sound very different. Protest and protestation, the emphasis is very different.

Good luck, and keep going. I loved the pages I read. Have you tried the Ickabog?

@LesleyA

Beset, fulcrum,fissures, sated,loamy,pontifications,unaccountably, clabbering, lore, compliant, decrepit, protestations, grove, kohl,inexplicable,facade, precedent,invariably, melancholy,gnarled,unemcumbered,delusions,millennia,debris,traverse, gossamer, diffused, noxious, imposing, perpetuated, Ember, affixed, contemplation,

A few words there not in everyday use but probably familiar to keen readers.

Seriously, why don't you just look them up together? Treat them a bit like school spellings and try putting them in other sentences