Is Lord of the Rings ok for an 8 year old?

[Greenpeanutsnail]

My DD is reading the Hobbit and so far thinks it is the best book she has ever read. She wants to read Lord of the Rings next. Despite loving reading, I’ve never managed to get into Lord of the Rings. I’ve heard it’s a bit more grown up than the Hobbit. Is there anything unsuitable about Lord of the Rings for an 8 year old? I thought here would be a good place to ask! Thank you.

LOTR is a harder read than the Hobbit, especially as it takes bloody ages to get going. I tried and failed to read it many times in my teens (despite having loved the Hobbit from ~age 8). When the first film came out I had more faith that something would eventually happen, and gave it a go, and enjoyed it - but I was 18 by then!

I'd recommend Watership Down by Richard Adams. My copy has a quote that says "Mr Adams wanted to write a 'proper grown-up novel for children', and that is exactly what he has achieved" - I concur!

Edit to add: Watership Down is very similar to the Hobbit in terms of the "small group set out on a journey, and have adventures along the way". If she enjoyed that aspect of the Hobbit then Watership will likely go down well. The use of language is wonderful too. I still get shivers when I think of "there's a large dog loose in the woods".

I don’t think it’s unsuitable it’s jut quite heavy going for an 8 year old, but no reason not to try it if she’s enthusiastic

There's nothing unstable, bit my (then) 8yo who loved the hobbit only made in about 3 chapters in, it's pretty heavy going.

It's a more difficult read (and bits of it are like trudging through treacle Tom Bombadil I'm looking at you) - I adored the hobbit and struggled with LOTR at about the age of 8. It took me a few goes as I wanted to love it - I probably finally finished it about 10. But i don't think it ruined it for me - I just eventually got it. I was a very precocious reader.

other books are the Dark is Rising series - highly recommend.

I read Lord of the Rings before the Hobbit and both before secondary school.

DD1 read it at about 8. As others have said it's not inappropriate, some scary bits, some deaths. Some of the poetry may not appeal.

You could try reading it to her, see how it goes

The books, as ever, are better than the films

I haven't re-read LOTR for a few years and along with the Wind in the Willows (another book she may like) will be doing this soon. I haven't re-read the Narnia Chronicles in ages, my copies have disintegrated.

Thank you for the replies and suggestions. I do read with DD, but I just can’t face Lord of the Rings. If she’s really enjoying it, she will want to zip ahead without me anyway. It’s been really interesting to read of all the experiences with the books and I will make it crystal clear that she’s better to wait, but as there’s nothing inappropriate, I’ll let her make the decision.

The recommendations are really great though. I’ve made a note of all of them and will suggest them to her. I’m not a fan of fantasy books as a general rule, so I’m a bit at sea with this genre! At her age, I was reading Enid Blyton and Sweet Valley. I’m just thrilled that she’s enjoying reading and I want to encourage her as much as possible.

How about the Narnia series? I loved them at her age. I was very much a precocious reader and like others, I could never get into LOTR. I always felt a bit guilty about it, like I should read it because I was capable and I liked fantasy, but I just found it such hard going.

When she's a bit older His Dark Materials will be great, but I think she'd need to be secondary age to get the most from it because of the older themes.

Totally opposite themes though, Narnia is about Christianity and God/Jesus, in Dark Materials someone wants to kill God and the author is well known anti-Christian/anti religion

I meant the relationship between Lyra and Will, but yes of course. I didn't know anything about the allegorical aspect of Narnia when I was a child though, I just loved the fantasy world. I think both series can be read on very different levels, but Narnia is better suited to an 8 year old.

(fist bump to the Bombadil-refusniks in here)

How about the Black Cauldron books? And the Sword in the Stone? They are fab and a bit middle-earthy in feeling.
Concur about the other Tolkien books - and how about the ones that were brought out relatively recently: The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien?

And deffo if you want Tolkien in your life: The Father Christmas Letters.

Fantasy for that age also includes the Wild Magic trilogy by Celine Kiernan. Pretty much an outrider in books for children that don't banish the parents and instead makes them part of the story.

I liked Narnia when I was primary aged, but when I realised a few years later that it was an allegory for Christianity I was a bit pissed off, so I don't think I'd have enjoyed it as much if I'd waited till I was older. Definitely read it around OP's DD's age as I remember the TV series being on after I'd read the books. Whereas I still really enjoy His Dark Materials now (in my 40s).

Another suggestion - how about Tom's Midnight Garden? It was dramatised on the BBC when I was 8, so I definitely read it and loved it at that age. It's not exactly fantasy but is quite other-worldly because of the time travel.

How about the Percy Jackson books? Greek myth based but a lot of fun.

ETA: also The Borrowers, they are fab too

Same 😂I wouldn't read it now because I know it's related to religion and it spoils it somehow (for me, as an atheist). As a child you don't get any of that theoretical stuff, it's just a great story.

Whereas I am very much looking forward to reading the latest in the Book of Dust series.

It's a hard read so probably too young.

It’s not inappropriate theme wise but it is hard read in terms of language and Tolkien does wander about in terms of the plot. I struggled with it in my twenties and haven’t tried again!

So David Eddings is problematic, but I loved his books. Dianna Wynn Jones is amazing. TBH they’re probably a bit too old for her yet too, but get them lined up and ready to go !!

Has she tried the Redwall series? That scratched my fantasy itch at that age.

I am probably in the minority here but I don't like his Dark Materials.

There wasn't much fantasy around when I was 8, all I can remember DD1 reading is the Redwall books. Not sure if Animals of Farthing Wood is too young

Please go to your local library and ask the librarians for suggestions, DD1 is a librarian and it's the bit they love doing most

Yes the TB bit is so tedious!

I'm pretty sure there's an abridged version though OP, that might be more suitable for her.

Narnia is the answer if she hasn’t read those yet.

For the gap between Hobbit and LOTR I’d suggest Harry Potter, and then Percy Jackson. The big, popular choices tend to be the best imo.

Edit: His Dark Materials are great books but to my mind they’re not children’s books at all. I wouldn’t be recommending them until the last years of school tbh, and only to kids who had done the groundwork of the less subversive classics.

@Brefugee I find it telling that both Peter Jackson and Radio 4 left Bombadil out! I would love to have tea at his house though, and ask Goldberry if she has an exit plan.

I also love The Borrowers and must dig out my ancient DVD of the BBC adaptation as that was utterly charming. I am longing for someone to write an update/sequel about Borrowers in the modern world - I know there was a drama a few years ago but I can never find it on any streaming service.

Lynne Reid Banks' The Indian in the Cupboard trilogy is also very good, but takes place in the real world rather than an imaginary land like Middle Earth or Narnia.

I read LotR for the first time when I was 8. It really depends on the child - she'll either love it (quite possible as she loves The Hobbit), or she'll struggle and will have to leave it until she's older. I adored it!

It's a very different book from The Hobbit, although you might not realise just starting off with The Fellowship of the Ring, as it's heavily hobbit/Shire focused. When it gets into Rohan and Gondor in particular, the language becomes a lot more old fashioned and formal, and Tolkien's writing is even more descriptive than in The Hobbit - my cousin struggled with it even as an adult, complaining about there being 'pages of description about a tree's eyes' (obviously Treebeard is an Ent, not a tree, but never mind...).

I've been reading it through with my 9 year old - he's largely loved it, but he did occasionally glaze over at some of the landscape descriptions!

@SydneyCarton I must admit that i have started, over the last couple of reads, not to totally loathe Tom Bombadill and that part. And i do love Goldberry - would love to hear more about her.

And i think the difficulty with leaving him out of the films (which i do love) was that because that then left out the barrow wrights, you had the ridiculous scenario of Aragorn apparently striding around with a bag full of hobbit sized swords...

I think it would hard going for all but a pretty exceptional 8 year old. But there’s no harm in her giving it a try. She is a Mumsnet 8 year old after all!!😉 Make sure you tell her it’s absolutely fine to give up and wait til she’s a bit older.