How old is old enough for the first Harry Potter book?

[MrsWembley]

A boy in DD's class (Yr2) has just finished the second and she is asking if she can read them too.

Now, I don't want to do the competitive parent thing but she is just as good a reader as he is (both got the pass to take books from the library at about the same time). However, I seem to remember something about them having been written for the age group that Harry was in each book (obviously with a year or two either side), so I'm not sure if she's really ready emotionally. It's been a while since I read them and they're all in store atm, so if anyone can tell me what they did, before I go searching for them, that would be fantastic.

[gingercat12]

DS is nearly 8, and we have just finished The Order of the Phoenix. He read the earlier some of the books to himself, but he wants to discuss the story with me, so I read the longer books to him. I wonder if he misses out on some of the more difficult plotlines, but during our discussions he has a real insight into characters' motivations, so maybe not.

Please, let us know how you get on.

[NellyTheElephant]

I would be a little careful about letting your DD start them as even the first one is a bit scary. My DD1 started them just after she'd turned 7 (half way through yr 2), she quickly read the first 3, I wasn't really happy about her moving onto the rest, but it was kind of too late by then as she was determined. She'd read them all within a couple of months, but I'm not sure exactly how much she assimilated of the later ones. She read them all through again about a year later and I think got a lot more out of them then. Now 11, I think she has probably read them through at least 4 times over the years.

DD2 did the same and read the first one when she was about half way through yr 2. She had nightmares for WEEKS over Voldemort drinking the unicorn's blood. I didn't let her read any more until another year or so (I gave her a complete set of Michael Morpurgho instead, and only later realised just how sad and difficult some of those are, so really you can't win).

Who knows what's best, maybe just let your DD try and see how she goes.

[G1raffe]

Oh I wonder if. I've done the wrong thing. My just turned 7 girl is in yr 2 and has been asking me for a year if she could read harry Potter.

I've made her wait and said she could read the first one. We ordered it in the library and she's about 5 or 6 pages in as she's not had a chance to sit and read properly.

I jeep telling her she can't read tracy beaker etc etc I thought I was doing OK rationing her.

[SnakeWitch]

Aww, so many of your DC about to experience the magic for the first time, I'm jealous! I'm going to start them again now

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

we allowed 1 and 2 for DD in yr3 but I think beyond that is too much for her at the moment, not in terms of reading ability but in terms of how dark they get.