James Bond novels - suitable for 13yo DS?

[EngineeringExcellence]

Ds reads well and voraciously but he likes what he likes and reads the same things over and over. Cherub are his current favourites.

I was wondering about the James Bond stories. The films I suppose are/were intended to be risqué but harmless enough. How graphic are the books?

Also, the feminist in me wonders if I should be encouraging them.

What do you think?

The JB books are very different to the films - better some would say. However, rather than leap straight to Ian Flemming, why not start with the Young JB series by Charlie Higson? They are superb, my DS loved then, and so did I! They are quite gory, but there is no sex!

Well I recall reading The Spy Who Loved Me as a 14 year old and being at him buying condoms in a barber's and then having sex in a cinema.....(I was an innocent!) - James Bond that is!

I read Casino Royale for the first time at that sort of age and enjoyed it. However, it is quite graphic and sadistic - which probably added to my enjoyment as I thought my parents wouldn't approve.

there is some sex in the books but nothing very graphic as far as I can remember. Quite a bit of violence I think. bond is more vulnerable and less of a superhero in the books than he is in the films. your son might enjoy them, though he might find them rather old fashioned.

The Spy Who Loved Me has a line about how all women love 'semi-rape'. The general attitude to women is very misogynistic and of their time. If you present them as 'historical' then maybe...

I read all the Bond books between the age of 11 to 14.

Thoroughly enjoyed them. Read Dr No again last year and it was as good as the first time round.

I would say "no". Not because of the torture & sex but because it is very last-century misogynistic.

what about the Alex rider books by Anthony Horowitz? he is 14 or so?

I adored the Fleming novels from 11 or so onwards... they do open up a very cosmopolitan world as Fleming was (for his time) appreciative of the best things in life. Yes it has to be said they are racist, sexist and homophobic but for me they have to be seen as a product of their time, and that's true of most mid-20th Century authors. I wouldn't discard the Fleming books any more than I would ban Dickens (not saying Fleming is on a par but you see what I mean). Your DS should be fine - have you watched any episodes of Mad Men with him? That would give you similar opportunities to open up a discussion of how attitudes have changed, but children are pretty perceptive about these things now and can take outdated attitudes with a grain of salt, and appreciate a good book for what it is. As a girl growing up in a very small town I loved the Bond books for showing me a world of travel, adventure and discerning consumption of the best the world has to offer.