Voldermort, is HWMNBN too scary for small children?

[Blandmum]

Listening to the books again, in the run up to the new book, Voldermort, HWMNBN. what do we think of him, too scary for small children? That level of malevolence?

Depends how small, really. But children like stories that feature baddies. Look at fairy tales! There's a reason they are common to most cultures - same themes found in different languages in different places.

True, but that level of control over the Death Eaters? Is it wise to expose children to that?

What do you mean by "small children"?

IMO the books get a lot darker from HP4 onwards. I certainly wouldn't be happy with my boys watching or reading HP4 onwards before they were, say, 8.

Even then ds2 is almost 8 and he isn't ready for it.

Don't know if younger children get the control factor, in 4 (going off the kids I work with anyway). think Delores (sp?) Umbridge would be scarier to younger ones because she is a teacher and they are supposed to be good people.

It doesn't scare my ten year old because she knows it's not true. Radio and tv news scare her. Always jumping for the off button.

DD was about 6yo when we started reading the dementor one to her I think and she was too frightened so we stopped and it came back out later.

She's 10yo now and laps up HP with no fear but read a condensed version of HG Wells' The Time Machine last night and was somewhat unnerved by it.

DD1 refused to open HP until she was 7.9 and had read the lot before her eighth birthday. That was when she was ready. DD2 is just turned 7 and hasn't read them although she has seen all the films so far. I took DD1 to Goblet of Fire and she told me DD2 would be OK with it so I took her (she was just 6) and she was fine.
I think we underestimate what they can deal with sometimes - I am reading DD2 Blitz atm (one of those My Story books - it is a pretend diary of a child in WW2 London) and she is really interested in the big questions about the war, good and evil etc, which I really did think would be too much for her to cope with. Hitler much scarier than Voldemort IMO.

I must admit I skipped the begining of HP3? (the one where Voldemort kills Eric Sikes!, thought it was a bit too scarey for bedtime reading when my dd was 8. She is 11 now and still won't watch the films in bed, but loves everything about HP during the day!

Are those "My Story" books good Rosa? I got a set from the Book People for ds1, but haven't given them to him yet.

DS2 is a huge fan of the book and films and has just turned 7. DH and I have been to see the last 2 films when they came out before deciding wether to take the boys. They understand it's a film and TBH DS1 who is almost 9 gets more scared. I think it depends on the individual child, you will know if your child is up to it

They are not literature Roisin, they are too obviously written to a formula - but they are a very palatable way of giving a child a flavour of a historical period. DD2 asked for a book about WW1 or WW2 and I thought this would be a good introduction. They are ideal as companion books for when they are studying particular periods at school too. I think I will read her Carrie's War next if she is still interested.

mine just are NOT interested in Harry Potter

they blooming love Lemony Snicket though

DD1 likes Lemony Snicket too Enid. I thought the first one was quite funny but after number three I gave up the will to live. It is the only series that DD liked that I couldn't bring myself to finish, so she made DH read it instead

I agree Rosa: I found the first Lemony Snicket book fresh and interesting with it's unique approach, but by the end of book two it was all very samey and I was bored.

DS1 has actually only read the first one, which surprised me, as I thought the style would appeal to him.

I was horrified to find dd (4) had been sneaking out of bed to sit at the top of the stairs to listen to me reading HP 5 to her brothers. Normally she's such a wee mouse. When tackled she informed me scornfully (not cheekily) "But this isn't a Harry Potter world, Mummy!" We're now at the Mysteries Dept bit and I've summarized it for her (baddies try, baddies lose) and told her I shall read the boys the chapter when she's not there - she can hear it when she's older!

Sorry if unclear; I meant I told her it was unsuitable and scary and she made it clear it was just a story. Still wouldn't read it to her...

One of my cats is called Voldemort (Morty for short). He is not scary for young children at all!

But yes, I do find the Voldemort parts, especially in the later books/films too much for young children.