What age for Alex Rider and Darren Shan?

[RnB]

Would they be suitable for a 9 yr old?

Don't know about Darren Shan but DS was reading first Alex Rider at 9/10. Stormbreaker was fine but I think some of the others in the series are too teenage for 9 year olds.
Could try watching teh film first to get an idea of the content.

dpends on the 9 yr old but my ds2 is 9 and has been reading them as his older brother has them :)

My 10 year old reads Shan but he does not scare easily.

Dd1 read Alex Rider from age 9-10. That is very much her style of reading though-she doesn't scare very much for reading as she can separate fiction from fact fairly well in her head. My 4yo ds loves being read them, but I do adjust as I read.

The film is fine, but the author said he was very disappointed as they set it to be a PG and he felt that stopped later books being filmed as they would have to be changed substantially to fit in that. He wanted a 12A. Ds enjoyed the film too, as did dd2 (age 8yo) who scares very, very easily. I wouldn't use it as a marker as to whether to read the books.

thank you everyone. Sounds like they'll be fine for him. Will give the movie a go too...

imho: Rider from 8 perhaps but 9+ better.
Darren Shan from age 12-13+. Shan is quite explicitly violent & gory. Never mind creepy in places (I freely admit I scare easily!)

My nine year old DS has asked me to add to this thread that he thinks the Alex Rider books are easy to read.

I should add, he hasn't read all of them and I agree that some themes are a bit too much for his age.

Ok, he's just pulled me up on this and told me HAS read them all....i will tell him to get a nomme de plume and get on here himself

lol - how sweet! Thanks :)