Is To Kill A Mockingbird okay to give to my ten year old?

[mynotsoperfectlife]

He's an excellent reader and very bright. It's not a difficult book to read in my memory - any thoughts?

It's tricky. He's read Hunger Games and loved them. I'd say they are more disturbing in terms of content than TKAM but that's possibly my own views clouding it.

I wouldn't.

I've let my y9 students borrow mine (age 13/14) but they are mature y9s and advanced readers.

They might like Skullduggery Pleasant (It's a series), or the Divergent books, Artemis Foul is quite good too. Philip Reeve Mortal Engines is good and they might also get on with some of the bigger Neil Gaiman books.

The Hunger Games? Good grief. 10 is still a child. What are you thinking? Those are definitely YA books. 10 is not YA. Primary schools neither stock not encourage The Hunger Games.

Actually, he read HG at school, Whisk.

The school is very wrong indeed to make THG available to primary children.

Anyway :) Recommendations still welcomed.

I don't think they are Bertrand.
Whilst it wouldn't be my choice for the children, lots of their parents have taken kids to see the films. I've seen lots of kids going ad katniss for world book day. If that's the case then I can't see why the books are an issue.

The Hunger Games books are more graphic than the films. I would never let a primary child read it (although I know plenty of parents who have - none of whom bothered to read it first).

DS1 loved the philip reeve mortal engines series but at the end of year 6.

I wouldn't personally give hunger games to primary kids. But I can see how people do.

Mortal Engines is great.
Skullduggery Pleasant is also a nice series.

The books are much more graphic and disturbing than the films. And anyway, the film is a 12A . A primary school woildn't show a 12A film without parental permission- I think they should be equally responsible with books.

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is a good one. I liked it too. I'd forgotten about him.

Books are so subjective, kids are so different. Some kids will read things that are more adult and most of the content will go over their heads. I have a sensitive 11 yr old who is a worrier and a deep thinker so that influences my decisions and makes me err on the side of caution. Other kids might be more robust and capable of reading more complicated topics without getting anxious.

I feel like kids have their whole adult lives to worry about rape and violence and discrimination and the like, and they have such a short time in their lives to not have to worry about these things. When issues come up in everyday life we'll deal with it then, but for as long as I get to choose, I'm going to choose not to voluntarily introduce the difficult stuff.

Burying my head in the sand maybe, I don't know.

I love The Graveyard Book. American Gods is another good one of his too.

I think different children like reading different things. I always found it odd how many y7/8 students loved reading the puke inducing depressing read that is the Fault In Our Stars (I borrower a copy from a 6th former and as you can probably guess absolutely hated it).

I don't know tea but I have to say, if asked, I wouldn't say TKAM is a book about rape. I know that TR is accused of rape, but that's really a very secondary part of the story.

I mean, many children's books deal with death and destruction and distress. My hesitancy over TKAM was more over not fully understanding the themes and message than the fact a man is accused of rape in it.

That said I have a y8 student at the moment who is working her way through the Brontes. She loves them.

Yeah I hate FIOS as well but young people seem to love it!

We are clearly just not down wiv da kidz any more!

OP
I would say it's a fairly central part of it. I think something going over the head of a child actually deprives them of reading an awesome book and appreciating it when they are old enough to get it.

I read TKAM in secondary school and fell in love with it. But part of that "wow" moment came from understanding what is going on.

Certainly it's taught in schools so can technically be classed as a children's book

The book is taught in HIGH school, to GCSE students. Your child is in PRIMARY school. There is no 'technically' about it. The book is unsuitable for a 10 year old. As for The hunger games in primary school? That is ridiculous.

Anyway ...

Dd1 read it at about 12yo, after she'd heard dh saying (not to her) that he thought it was a really good book.
She was saying about a year ago (aged 15yo) that she really wished she hadn't read it then as she felt that she hadn't really appreciated it and, having read it once, felt that it wasn't quite the same reading it again.

If she'd asked me then I would have advised she waited as, although she was more than capable of the language much younger, and she's very mature, it is one that is better to wait on.

I don't generally sensor books, so if he was desperate to read it, then I wouldn't say no, but I wouldn't give it to a child of that age.

lucked thanks for mentioning Holes! It's great and so is the movie!!!

Tomorrow when the war began series is also excellent for slightly older D.C.'s... in fact John marsden has written lots of great books which we read in school from about age 12.

Could you read it together? I did this with my daughter when she was 10 - having read previously at school as a teen - which was helpful to her re the nuances of speech and language/ race issues etc. She was a v advanced reader too but I definitely think she got more out of the book this way; understand and enjoyed it because she was able to discuss it as we went along.

Kids are very aware of racist issues these days and the rape issue isn't in any way graphic or salacious..... overall it was a positive for both of us - so yes, I'd let DS read it if I were you

What's wrong with Lord of the Rings? Is it your taste colouring it? I read them at about ten. Also read lots of Diana Wynne Jones.