Silverfin - what age?

[PhoebeMcPeePee]

DS (8.5) has bought home from school 'Silverfin' the first in the young James Bond series. He's totally gripped which is great but I do wonder whether it's suitable reading for his age? I read the opening chapter & it's pretty dark plus the character is 13 so presumably there's plenty of typical teenage boy antics some of which I'm not convinced are wholly appropriate for a fairly naive nearly 9 year old. Anyone read it or has an older child who might know?

These books are marketed to 9+ - as a rough rule children rend to read book with protagonists around 3 years older than themselves. There is violence but I don't think it should cause upset or nightmares. They are well written books.

They're targeted at 11 plus. The content gets darker as the series progresses. I don't think Charlie Higson wrote them with an 8 year old audience in mind.

I've read Silverfin and it is a well-written, gripping thriller for 11+. I think 8.5 is a little too young, but I wouldn't snatch it away from him if he's embroiled in it :) But just to give you a perspective, here in Germany, my son asked the library to order it for him when he was 10 and they refused on the grounds that it's classified here as being in the teen section on the basis of the horror/violent content. They're probably more strict about such things here than in the UK but I think they have a good point. There are so many good adventure stories for 9-12s that might be a better bet.