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Children's books

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Original poster

Lord of the Flies - ok for 11-year-old?

26 replies

gramercy · 12/02/2010 10:47

I'm trying to think of some books for ds to read. Ds is a keen reader, but has been a bit disappointed in the books he's read of late. He's quite fed up with "series" of books where the author is clearly on a book deal and the plots are spread unnecessarily across 3+ books.

So I thought Lord of the Flies might fit the bill. Is it too harrowing for an 11-year-old? I read it about a million years ago, but I wondered if anyone had a clearer memory of it than I do.

OP posts:
Prinnie · 12/02/2010 11:00

Hmmas long as your DS isn't really sensitive I'd have thought it would be fine. In fact it's probably much less disturbing reading it at 11 than it is to adults!

JeffVadar · 12/02/2010 17:13

My DS is 11, and a very good reader. Personally I wouldn't give him 'Lord of the Flies' BUT he is a bit of a wimp very sensitive .

However, he has been reading this book by Ian MacEwan at school, and is really loving it.

ShowOfHands · 12/02/2010 17:16

I would say no to it actually.

Has he read any Robert Westall. I read my first Robert Westall at 11 as a set text at school and went out to get them all from the library in quick succession. They are just superb.

gherkinwithapurplemerkin · 12/02/2010 17:17

How about Animal farm if thinking quality fiction? Obv he won't get the Russian Revolution plots but he might enjoy the fable? And poss Lord of the Rings?

ShowOfHands · 12/02/2010 17:18

Lord Of The Flies is seemingly quite exciting from a shipwrecked/adventure point of view but as it progresses I think the themes of savagery, the human psyche, group mentality, war, death, gothic horror, hidden dangers etc are actually a little too frightening for an 11 year old.

GothDetective · 12/02/2010 17:32

We read it as a school text when I was 11 in English Lit. I don't remember been too concerned about it, we watched the film in class after finishing the book as well. I jus tfelt sorry for Piggy when he lost his glasses (fellow specs wearer).

ShowOfHands · 12/02/2010 17:35

We read it at 14 as a GCSE text and it visibly upset some of the class.

I guess it depends on the child.

Lighteningbugs · 13/02/2010 21:41

I personally found Lord of the Flies disturbing as an adult but then I think some of it goes above younger readers heads ?

Chocky by John Wyndham is good at that age

Kaloki · 13/02/2010 22:27

I read it around that age and loved it, but I was never that easily upset. Really does depend on your DS.

neversaydie · 13/02/2010 22:32

Way too much for an 11 year old, to my mind. It is a horrible story.

He might enjoy John Wyndham, I also found 'A Town Like Alice' (by Nevil Shute) at around that age, and loved it.

Peter Dickinson has written some excellent, very thought provoking books for this sort of age group. The Weathermonger is a classic, but there are loads more and he doesn't tend to write long series.

janeite · 13/02/2010 22:36

Well it is certainly no more harrowing than the 'crucifying' bit in in 'A Town Like Alice' I guess.

We took the dds to see a production of it last year, when dd2 was 11 and she found it a bit weird. I just think conceptually they need to be a bit older to aprreciate it, so it's best saved for 13 or 14 when it's more likely to be enjoyed.

It is a brilliant book, so worth waiting for. I often teach it to year 10 and they love it.

neversaydie · 13/02/2010 23:13

I take your point about the crucifixion scene in Town Like Alice. But it is a brief part of an otherwise positive book.

Lord of the Flies is I am sure the better book, and I understand that the descent into barbarism is the point. But it was way too much for me at 14, when I was pushed to read it by a very enthusiastic English teacher. (Making us all watch the film as well probably didn't help.)

It would probably still be too much for me - I have never felt the slightest desire to go back to it. However, if I had held off reading it until I was older, I might well have appreciated it a bit more.

dittany · 13/02/2010 23:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

janeite · 13/02/2010 23:16

They are both fab books I think. I wasn't criticising 'Alice' at all. The only film I know of is the black and white one, which is fairly subtle iirc.

The theatre production we saw had a female 'jack' - which didn't work at all. Now there's a question - could it have been written with a mixture of genders, or did it need to be all boys in order to be credible? Not sure.

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 13/02/2010 23:21

Ds asked to read this, I said no. He's read Animal Farm though. There's alot of books your ds could read, is there a reading list at his school? Ds is an avid reader, he's read a couple of the sherlock holmes books, some are heavy though, he liked the hobbit, lord of the rings, he's read hitchikers guide to the galaxy a few times and he loved it, it's really funny.

dittany · 13/02/2010 23:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 13/02/2010 23:27

Some more for you, all tried and loved by ds:
Journey to the centre of the earth
Around the world in 80 days
Muddle earth
A christmas carol. We have um... a few books all over the house. He's started reading the newspaper at the moment.

janeite · 13/02/2010 23:33

Yes - dd2 loves MuddleEarth and has read it repeatedly. Ditto A Christmas Carol.

How about The Lost World?

War Of The Worlds? It is a very, very long time since I read it, so I can't really remember it.

cornsilk · 13/02/2010 23:34

Iread it at that age. I think. (at school)

neversaydie · 13/02/2010 23:36

Yes - it was a black and white film. I was 14 in the early 70's, so it must have been the 1963 film. I am not sure I thought it was subtle at the time, but I was a very sensitive teenager, and not brought up with visual media so tended to take films over-seriously at the best of times.

On reflection, the film is probably why I have such a strong negative reaction to the book. I still think the book is unsuitable for children, though!

Thinking about your theatre production, a mixed sex group sounds odd to me, because it was the original surface homogeneity that made the descent into violence so shocking. All girls would probably work, though.

janeite · 13/02/2010 23:40

I think the descent into 'hell' would have been much quicker with all girls!

BelleDeChocolateFluffyBunny · 13/02/2010 23:40

Ds has read Tom's midnight garden more then a few times.

Anyone fancy a childrens book swap?

EdgarAllenSnow · 13/02/2010 23:44

let them read...

as others have said, adults tend to find this more harrowing as they understand the import of what the book says - kids are likely to be less upset.

i read 1984 at that age. just found it dull.

Original poster
gramercy · 15/02/2010 18:13

Thanks for all the suggestions. Will have a trawl round Amazon. May try Lord of the Flies - I don't think ds is that sensitive! I get the point about it being over his head. I think many books are read far too young. We did books at school that I thought were total yawnsville, which when I revisited years later were actually brilliant.

OP posts:
GossamerBeynon · 16/02/2010 16:44

This is fantastic and a bit Lord of the Flies. He will love it and it is very well written.