Kindle - kids version?

[Wenchelda]

Hi, long time lurker on the bargain threads but need some advice please. My 11yo DD is a huge bookworm and loves reading but she has decided she can’t have any more books as all her shelves are already overflowing. She has mentioned a kindle so I’m looking into options. I assume I’m best off waiting until Black Friday but would I be better going for the kids version or the normal version? I’m not really sure what the difference is. Thanks in advance for any advice!

At 11 I would go for a kindle paperwhite as it will be something she can use for years. They give a similar reading experience to a book, easier on the eye than reading on a tablet or phone, whatever you decide don't get a kindle fire as they are just tablets and not very good at that.
You might also consider a Kobi because you can borrow library books to read on them.

I don't think the paper white is needed. The normal kindle e-reader with backlight is fine and doesn't strain eyes.

I agree with staying away from kindle fires, they're not designed for reading.

I have a paperwhite, and love the look and feel of it. The main things to look for in any e-reader are whether the backlight is adjustable, is there an option for warm light (rather than white/blue light), how easy the interface is.

My kids have kindle fires but don’t use them for reading, because there are so many apps on them, that they will get distracted.

you can get a kindle unlimited subscription which allows your child access to a whole host of books. That said, my local library app offers lots of free e-books, for other e-readers, so there are more cost effective options.

Definitely wait until Black Friday - Amazon put all of their own brand electronics on sale. If you go for a kindle, get a good quality cover on black Friday too.

My 11 year old has a normal kindle, and my 8 year old the kids version. I think she would be fine with the normal one - especially if you get a Kindle unlimited subscription. I pay for kindle unlimited for me, and my 11 year old can download books using that.

Thanks all .. definitely don't want the kindle fire so that's not an option I was considering. It just when I look at a normal kindle, there seem to be some that are sold as a kids one, but apart from coming with a case, I'm not sure what the difference is?

I've got a kindle myself (quite a few years old now) with kindle unlimited - would my daughter be able to get books using my kindle unlimited (if so, how?) or would she need her own subscription?

Also interested to know more about the alternative e reader that was mentioned as I didn't realise there were some that you could use for borrowing library books too.

My DS has the kids kindle (eReader, not fire), and it is basically exactly the same as my kindle. I think it is slightly smaller, so fits better in his hand, and came with a nice case and a years kindle kids subscription.

He loves it, and it's very well used. I don't find the kindle kids subscription great for reading - I ended up getting kindle unlimited for him as well. I also find the interface on the kids profile very irritating. It is full of suggestions of books from kindle kids, when he just wants to see the books downloaded on that device.

Also, my own home screen is full of his books now, as I need to download them to my profile then add them to his.

However, the device itself is great, with a decent battery life. A non-kids one would be just as good though.

Sorry, I realised I didn't answer the kindle unlimited question properly. I have one subscription we share. I download his books onto my profile, then assign access to his profile. (I can log into my profile on his device, and vice versa.)

My 2 kids have kids kindle similar to my paperwhite but slightly smaller. I have often thought if something were to happen to my kindle and the kids version was much cheaper I'd buy a kids one as I can't see much difference.

I'm not sure how unlimited works. I download from zlibrary and email books directly to our kindles

@CreeperBoom thanks, that's really helpful about the kindle unlimited subscription. I didn't know she would be able to share mine so that's good to know. Now to wait for Black Friday in the hope of a bargain!