AIBU to let DS 7 read Agatha Christie's Poirot?

[Mysterylovingboy]

DS7 has read lots of Famous Five, Five Find-Outers, Malory Towers, Just William etc. This weekend he's been reading Poirot's casebook which contains short murder mysteries.

I'm just wondering if these are actually suitable, given his age. I remember reading them in late juniors, but he's still in the infants and they are, after all, about murders, though they're not gruesome and the baddie always gets caught and punished so hopefully they're not morally bad (occasional racism, classism and sexism - which we will discuss - aside).

AIBU to let him read them, and if so, can people suggest alternatives please?

He's not really into fantasy or magic or animal stories. IIRC he's got a reading age of 12+ and enjoys Horrible Histories, Asterix, Obelisk, Enid Blyton's mystery and school stories (not SS, which are "boring and too slow"), Just William, some Jacqueline Wilson (avoiding the scarier ones). He wants to read Biggles, but I've said that's too violent.

The Big Six by Arthur Ransome (Swallow and Amazons) is actually a detective story. I and DC were reading these from age 7 (I still re-read often)

Reading age doesn't always equate to comprehension though, so you do need to check any books first.

I loved the Five Find-Outers when I was younger. Jennings books are really funny and have some similarities.

If he likes history The Museum Mystery Squad books by Mike Nicholson might interest him. You have to look for clues and eliminate the suspects as the story goes on. The 39 Clues series books are also great to encourage deduction.

The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz is good and the Young Bond books by Charlie Higson, they’re both aimed at slightly older children though.

It's a bit of an odd choice when there are so many lovely children's books available.

I loved the Bertie Wooster stories by P. G. Wodehouse at that age. You could try him on the first one, where Wooster hires Jeeves. "Jeeves Takes Charge", it's a short story and if he likes it there are loads more.

He's been raiding his sister's shelves, and now he's moved onto mine. If I ban it it will only be seen as more desirable, and from what people have said that he'll be ok with some of the shorter Poirots, but I think I'll hide anything darker, whilst restocking his own shelves with lots of child-friendly alternatives people have kindly suggested.

I thought of PG Wodehouse too whilst scanning my shelves just now and was wondering whether they might work! He's watched an episode of the TV series and laughed a lot.

Swiss Family Robinson

The Agatha Christie short stories at first

History books for eras in which he is interested eg The Jacobites or Robert The Bruce

Look at crosswords

Introduce him to playing Chess

If I ban it it will only be seen as more desirable No, this is a silly argument. Either you let him have complete free choice (Fifty Shades?) or you have some standards.

Anyway, you don't 'ban' anything, you just say 'I think they are more secondary school books'.

I was reading Agatha Christie at that age. I don’t think it worried me too much - more like cartoon violence than anything else.

I also wasn’t into fantasy or magic, but I did like a lot of the Isaac Asimov robot stories (the short stories at that age). Stories all have a certain amount of internal logic, so they never annoyed me as much as the pure fantasy stuff.

Some of the Rosemary Sutcliff books might be up his street.

I started reading David Eddings at six (also raiding my mum's shelves) - somone gets burnt alive in one of those books! I wouldn't worry too much, it's not like films. Kids only get out of a book what their own imagination can supply.

If he enjoys reading the Poirot short stories then I don’t see why he shouldn’t. They are pretty cosy Murder mysteries. But agree with others that there are so many good mystery and murder mystery books aimed at the 8-12 age that I wouldn’t rush to read Agatha Christie.
As he’s enjoyed Malory Towers he might like Murder Most Unladylike. But I’d definitely try Diamond Brothers (Horowitz), London Eye/Guggenheim mystery and Adventures on Trains. Gareth P Jones has written some excellent books - Thornthwaite Inheritance and Considine Curse etc - which I highly recommend trying.
Whilst the AC plots are excellent, I agree with others that they feature much older characters and some of the writing is clunky and old fashioned.

Agree with a pp about Sherlock Holmes but the proper versions not the children's ones.
But I am possibly not the best to give advice, my mum let me read The Thorn birds when I was 12...

I assume he's read the treehouse series, diary of a wimpy kid, kid normal, timmy failure, all school type series my equally advanced and frustrated yr2 has read recently.

Lemony snicket might be worth a look, or hitchhikers guide - might be a bit Sci fi?

History based - my older history geek did horrible histories - there are also horrible geographies, my story - which are a diary series, most of them female led but there are 'boys books' ones too. Another shout for shallows and amazon's too.

On a slightly different tack, you could try the Adventure series, by Willard Price. These are about two teenagers who go on animal-collecting adventures with their naturalist father. They normally end up having to outwit some villains along the way. I remember enjoying these books as a 9-year old (by which time I was also reading Dickens, Tolkien, CS Lewis, Edgar Allan Poe and G. K. Chesterton).

You could try Alexander McCall Smith.
He has written some children's books, and his adult Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency is imo very gentle too.
Other mystery books my Dc have enjoyed:
Lauren St John "Dead Man's Cove", think there are about 4 in the series.

Taylor and Rose spy series - Peril in Paris, Vengeance in Venice etc.

I read a lot of Agatha Christie whilst at primary school. I also loved the Lark Rise to Candleford trilogy.

I also agree with PPs about PG Wodehouse and Alexander McCall Smith books. His Professor Iglefeld (sp?) books are v funny.

At that age I adored all the William books.

Obviously from another era, but still very funny IMO.

I second The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence. I'd also try him on Malcolm Saville's Lone Pine mysteries. I think they're out of print but it's quite easy to pick them up as 1970s secondhand paperbacks on eBay.

I don't think he'd have any trouble with the original Sherlock Holmes stories either. I read some at that age and although I'm sure some of the words must have gone over my head it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the stories.

I've not read them myself but DH loved The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries when he was a boy.

I would be OK with that but remember there a surprising number of references to drugs in them that might warrant a chat. That and the attitudes about class and race mean I would let him read them if you thought he could see them in context.

Agree that there are much better books for children of that age now, many of them on this thread.
My DC have recently enjoyed the Voyage of the sparrow hawk.

At that age I read what was available at home and at the library. There weren't lots of books written for this age group so i certainly read Christie, Georgette Heyer, Ngaio Marsh, Dick Francis etc. I'm sure I wasn't alone in that.I presume that some things went over my head but I was certainly not upset by any of them. I never considered censoring my DCs' reading habits although to be fair none of them were particularly precocious readers. They found their own interests and two of the three are 'readers' as young adults.

I was reading my Mum’s Stephen King books at a similar age and definitely watched Poirot and Miss Marple on TV with my Gran at that age, I’m completely fine!

I would but then I love her books. Also PG Wodehouse. I read them all quite young because they were light to carry and I had to catch a two buses and the Tube to get to my dads at the weekend.

The young James Bond books by Charlie Higson mught also be a possiblilty but I think they are more gruesome than Agatha Christie so maybe in a year or two.

@Ohmygoshandfolly

I was reading my Mum’s Stephen King books at a similar age and definitely watched Poirot and Miss Marple on TV with my Gran at that age, I’m completely fine!

You read Stephen King at seven?

I read all the Agatha Christie I could get my hands on from age 7 to 9 or 10. Still like them now. I ended up with a degree in English literature and no lasting damage! I'd say crack on.