Harry Potter books - what age?

[Maiasaurax]

My eldest Dd is nearly 9. She is currently reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. She has read the first two books and I have let her watch the film after completing them. I was planning on letting her watch the Prisoner of Azkaban when she had finished reading it. I have told her she needs to wait till she's older to continue both reading and watching the films after this one. I feel the goblet of fire is somewhat darker. The problem is I feel a bit guilty. She is a very strong reader (on a reading level above anyone else in her class) though she often lacks motivation to read. She goes through phases where she finds a book she loves and will want to read all the time, but otherwise it's hard going to get her to read. The last time she found a series she loved was back in year 2 when she discovered the Faraway Tree. Harry Potter has really captured her imagination. On top of this a number of her peers have read all the books and much younger children have watched all the films. I am torn! Should I let her keep going and keep up the momentum with her reading or was I right in my initial thoughts that the later books and films aren't appropriate for her age?

I found HP ruined reading for DD, she was precocious reader and read the first three early around 6/7 but then it was difficult to find any books that matched the excitement. I really wished I'd left them till later as she then wasn't interested in the Worst Witch and similar age appropriate books. As for the darkness I'd leave it till 11 really, both for the darker themes but also to be closer in age to the characters so have similar (nonmagical) life experiences.

You could try
Artemis Fowl series, Enola Holmes, Benedict Society, a series of unfortunate events and all have TV shows or films that pair with them.

My DD read them all age 6/7 and didn’t find them too scary. We didn’t let her watch the later films until she was 11 though. I think reading is far less scary than watching a film personally.

Unlike the PP, it didn’t ruin reading for my DD at all - to the contrary, it kick started her love of reading independently and she constantly has her nose in a book!

DD is 7 and has read the first 4 so far. She read the first 3 last year in Y2 and I resisted continuing for the same reasons as you - they get progressively darker as you enter the 4th book. There are a few strong readers in her class and a couple have read them all so she also wanted to read them all. I gave in to the 4th but am holding off the next one for a few months

I also had similar worries about them ruining reading but fortunately they haven’t done so. We do stop after each book and read something lighter.

Similar to you OP, we only watch movies after reading the book. The movie isn’t so scary when they’ve read the book

I'm waiting until 10 I think. I read them as they came out but I know she will rattle through them since they are all out now. I want her to watch the films after reading but she is definitely too young for the later films. I'd like her to be 12 before watching film 6,7 &8.

I’m normally fairly strict on TV and internet but I let my 8 year old read them all and watch the films. She didn’t get scared and still happily reads lots of books.

I'd just let her read them all. If you haven't read them yourself, I recommend you do, and then you can discuss the darker themes with her in an age appropriate way.

Your post could have been written by me a couple of years ago. We were in the same boat when my DD was 8 and wanted to read book 4 on... we held off til she was a wee bit older and said she could watch the films after reading the books. We read bits of book 4 with her (we have always read to her at bedtime and then she continues on) and I think that helped. Needless to say she rattled through them in days 🤪 as she was so into them and so excited about watching the films. If you'd have said 7/8 I'd have said wait, but at 9, I'd crack on as anything that motivates a good but reluctant reader is a goer with us!

My younger DD studied them in Yr5. (So 9yo)

Percy Jackson is another possibility (but has some of the same issues that they get darker as you go). How is she with ‘classics’? So Narnia, Children of Greene Knowe, Tom’s Midnight Garden etc?

Thank you all. Definitely some mixed views on this, but more saying to let her continue with reading the books than not.

To answer some question. I have read the books, but it was a long time ago (the first 4 together, the later ones as they came out). I may need a refresh. In regards to the classics, I did read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to her when she was younger, she recently watched the film and loved it. She watched the other two films, but was less interested and didn't want to read those books. Might be worth trying some of the other classics though.

In terms of other books, particularly like the suggestion of A Series of Unfortunate Events. I haven't read the books myself, but enjoyed the series. Definitely something she could read and then watch.

I actually had a conversation with Dd this evening and have left it up to her if she wants to read The Goblet of Fire. I let her know a child dies in it and asked her if she thinks she would find that too upsetting. She can be quite sensitive and it's only recently she wanted to read or watch anything remotely scary. She has decided to have a think about it and will make her own decision. If she does decide to go ahead I will make sure she knows to talk about anything she does find upsetting and that she can stop reading at any point.

How to train your dragon and the Magic Once, Twice series both by Cressida Cowell might be a great option as Inbetweeners books. There's a fair few of them so will take her a while to read and then Goblet of Fire after.

Both of mine read them all at 8/9yo, and were allowed to watch the movies after they’d finished the books. The eldest sat with the youngest when it was their turn to watch the movies. More than once I heard “ohhhhh!! Is THAT what that was all about?!”. So I think they take from the stories as much as their minds can comprehend. What we find dark, they have no reason to second-guess or try to decipher.

I also think the books help make the movies less scary. And on balance I think the good far outweighs the bad. They’re excellent, timeless children’s books with universal themes.

The Amari books are brilliant- a third on has just been released and they are going to make them into films. We were fighting over who would get to do bedtime to read them.

Dd finished the series (books by the time she was 9, and watched the films.in the weeks after. She lent each book to my mum to read (for the first time).immediately afterwards and it was interesting to see their different reactions - as an adult my mum was upset by some of the more poignant deaths (avoiding spoilers!) whereas dd very much saw the deaths as a way to drive the story onwards rather than attaching much emotion to them.

Ds who is nearly 9 is reading order of the phoenix and has been fine with them all so far. We're reading them together so we can discuss them as we go along (and because I've never read them before either). We're also watching the movies after we finish the book. Other children in ds' class have read further along so he knows lots of spoilers that he enjoys telling me.

We introduced them at different ages so it was staggered over years. Recommend the blackthorn key series

Try Alan Garner or Diana Wynne Jones. I’m tapping my foot waiting for my daughter to be old enough for me to introduce her to them both.