What's your child reading?

[Dana Jean]

At what age would you recommend introducing a child to Eyes of the Dragon DJ? Will be the first SK book I'll give to my daughter. I'm thinking maybe 13.

Well, that's a parent's decision. There is some graphic language near the beginning. But, I honestly can't remember what it was! Can someone help out with that? I personally would have let my kid's read it at 13, but that's knowing my kids.

Hopefully someone can give you a little more information on that scene so you can make an informed decision. I personally love this story and think it is one of Stephen's best.

 

[champ1966]

Well, that's a parent's decision. There is some graphic language near the beginning. But, I honestly can't remember what it was! Can someone help out with that? I personally would have let my kid's read it at 13, but that's knowing my kids.

Hopefully someone can give you a little more information on that scene so you can make an informed decision. I personally love this story and think it is one of Stephen's best.

I'll re-read it and see how appropriate it is for a young teenager.

 

[skimom2]

At what age would you recommend introducing a child to Eyes of the Dragon DJ? Will be the first SK book I'll give to my daughter. I'm thinking maybe 13.

My daughter (another dragon lover) read it at about 11, and it's still one of her favorite books. My older two didn't like it as much as she does, but I think they were around 12-13. 8 YO is chomping to read DT right now--lol. All of the kids have loved looking at the pictures in my first 4 DT trade PBs for years. I heard my two oldest reminiscing about how they especially love the DoTT illustrations; apparently they used to scare each other with them

 

[skimom2]

So my 15 year old boy got back from a wrestling tournament and was heading to bed and noticed the book I was reading: Everything's Eventual. He asked if I was done with Salem's Lot and when I said yes, asked if he could read it. So he'll be the first to read a King book. I'll be interested to see how he likes it.

Kelly

Salem's Lot is my oldest daughter's favorite book. She's not a huge reader (though she does read well--just doesn't enjoy it as much as some of the rest of us), but she's read it at least three times.

 

[champ1966]

My daughter (another dragon lover) read it at about 11, and it's still one of her favorite books. My older two didn't like it as much as she does, but I think they were around 12-13. 8 YO is chomping to read DT right now--lol. All of the kids have loved looking at the pictures in my first 4 DT trade PBs for years. I heard my two oldest reminiscing about how they especially love the DoTT illustrations; apparently they used to scare each other with them

I like that idea, I've got some of the DT graphic novels. I might show her some of them in a couple of years time.

 

[skimom2]

Dana Jean: I have Cheaper by the Dozen and have read it, as have both my girls (but, interestingly, none of the boys - sort of like Little Women). We've also watched the movie referenced by SharonC. We dvr'd it some time back and everyone watched it. I also had to read it when I was a sophomore in high school.

Skimom, my 14 year old is very much her own personality (they all are but she has extremely distinct likes and dislikes). She loves old fairy tales and any book with dragons in it. I'll run those you mentioned by her and see if she bites. But I do assign books to read periodically. I've chosen many, though not all, of their school reading books. And I also sometimes just get a book I think they should read, hand it to them, and tell them to read it. I usually do that when the Sox are on so I'm controlling the tv (my wife, bless her, bought me MLB season ticket several years ago for my birthday so I get to watch the NESN broadcasts of the Sox all the way out here in Idaho), and I've banned them from their various electronic gizmos for a while. They whine about nothing to do so I get them a book. It's disappointing, but like reading, I can't get them into watching baseball.

Kelly

Sounds like my daughter Has she tried Jane Yolen's fairy tail-ish books? They're very good. Gregory Maguire's books are fairly good, as well.

 

[king family fan]

Witches

 

[kingricefan]

Witches

Which Witches?

 

[Kurben]

So my 15 year old boy got back from a wrestling tournament and was heading to bed and noticed the book I was reading: Everything's Eventual. He asked if I was done with Salem's Lot and when I said yes, asked if he could read it. So he'll be the first to read a King book. I'll be interested to see how he likes it.

Kelly

15 should be OK i think. Have no kids but but remember that when the period of Enid Blytons Five books, The Hardy boys, Three investigators and Nancy Drew books were over i went for Alexandre Dumas books Count of Monte Cristo, Three Musketteers, Myladys son and Jack London and Fenimore Coper and Jules Verne. And then on Robert Stevenson, Samuel Shellabarger And Arthur Conan Doyle and Tolkien and C.S. Lewis of course.

 

[Neesy]

Which Witches?

 

[king family fan]

Which Witches?

He drew it out of the library and took it to school with him this morning. but he also drew the movie out. Its titled the Witches From the imagination of Jim Henson and director of Nicolas Roeg.

 

[fushingfeef]

Jillian is currently addicted to The Boxcar Children series.
Addie likes "The Dork Diaries" and also she alternates between fiction and non-fiction.

 

[krwhiting]

15 should be OK i think. Have no kids but but remember that when the period of Enid Blytons Five books, The Hardy boys, Three investigators and Nancy Drew books were over i went for Alexandre Dumas books Count of Monte Cristo, Three Musketteers, Myladys son and Jack London and Fenimore Coper and Jules Verne. And then on Robert Stevenson, Samuel Shellabarger And Arthur Conan Doyle and Tolkien and C.S. Lewis of course.

I wish I could get my kids to read like that. Everything you listed is in my library, except Shellabarger (never heard of him). They have read Lewis and Tolkien. My 17 year old read Twenty years After a year ago for his English class (I assigned it - he was irritated because it was more pages than required). My 12 year old boy has read some HG Welles and Jules Verne, but not exhaustively. I find that what time they have left after the things they need to do is focused on tv or electronic games of one kind or another. The great pleasure I get sitting down alone and reading for hours at a time, they don't share on any consistent basis. But I'm still trying to force it on them. Though I realize it's force and that it can backfire, I still hold out hope that they will spend enough time reading to get bit by the bug.

Kelly

 

[Dana Jean]

LOVELOVELOVELOVE!

 

[do1you9love?]

My daughter happily started Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix this weekend. Mean ol' me made her wait till she was 11 (this week) to finish the series. Just knowing her personality and sensitivity made me want her to be ready. As stated before, this is so very dependent on the child and your family situation.

Good luck with Eyes of the Dragon, champ. I think it talks about "doing that thing that makes babies" a bit in the first couple chapters, but there is nothing else as far as cursing would go.

 

[Kurben]

I wish I could get my kids to read like that. Everything you listed is in my library, except Shellabarger (never heard of him). They have read Lewis and Tolkien. My 17 year old read Twenty years After a year ago for his English class (I assigned it - he was irritated because it was more pages than required). My 12 year old boy has read some HG Welles and Jules Verne, but not exhaustively. I find that what time they have left after the things they need to do is focused on tv or electronic games of one kind or another. The great pleasure I get sitting down alone and reading for hours at a time, they don't share on any consistent basis. But I'm still trying to force it on them. Though I realize it's force and that it can backfire, I still hold out hope that they will spend enough time reading to get bit by the bug.

Kelly

Shellabarger was a writer of quite good historical novels, Kind of like Dumas. His two best books were Prince of Foxes (ca 1947) that occurs in Italy in 1500 with Cesare Borgia in a big part. The second was the The Kings Cavalier (ca 1950)taking place in France a bit later when the french almost split up their kingdom because of a war between the Duke of Bourbon and the King, ca 1523. He is an american author but his novels moves quite comfortable in the european powerpolitics in the years 1500-1550. His main persona is always fictive but there is a lot of real historical persons close by. He is easy to read. Another good one but not quite as good was the The Captain from Castilie taking place in Spain. I also remember reading Mark Twain quite early. Both Tom Sawyer but also Huckleberry Finn was easy to get into.

 

[Riot87]

Right now Jonelle is on kids books since she is only 4 but i'm with you Champ i can't wait until they are old enough to read SK

 

[krwhiting]

Well, that's a parent's decision. There is some graphic language near the beginning. But, I honestly can't remember what it was! Can someone help out with that? I personally would have let my kid's read it at 13, but that's knowing my kids.

Hopefully someone can give you a little more information on that scene so you can make an informed decision. I personally love this story and think it is one of Stephen's best.

Agreed. I'm letting my 15 year old boy read Salem's Lot. After just having read it. And I'm a firm believer in traditional, and Biblical morality. But here's the thing. I filter all the time. I hear and see things continuously that I don't like (more than 90% of my practice is criminal defense, about 500 clients a year; and the rest is divorce/custody, and you wouldn't believe what comes out in discovery in those cases; plus I just live in this world with a fairly wide circle of friends and acquaintances, from high school to college, to Army friends, to law school friends and on), but that's the world we live in and I think my older kids, 15 is about right, need to learn to face and deal with such things rather than be taught they aren't there. Because they are. I've read the Bible through, several times, and am working on it again (5 chapters a day gets you through it in about 9 months), and it doesn't sugar coat anything. Murder, adultery, infanticide, dishonesty, evil of every form, is displayed for all to see. I believe for the reason that we can know they are real and must be faced and dealt with. Because evil, and good for that matter, always have a price (FYI: it is this insight that I believe King has that makes him so interesting a writer to me; and a reason I loved Desperation so much). When they were younger, I shielded them, and they don't have to know details about people they know (though if I remember my high school and junior high days they're probably farther along than they'd let on to me), but fiction is a great place to process the face of evil.

Kelly

 

[Dana Jean]

Agreed. I'm letting my 15 year old boy read Salem's Lot. After just having read it. And I'm a firm believer in traditional, and Biblical morality. But here's the thing. I filter all the time. I hear and see things continuously that I don't like (more than 90% of my practice is criminal defense, about 500 clients a year; and the rest is divorce/custody, and you wouldn't believe what comes out in discovery in those cases; plus I just live in this world with a fairly wide circle of friends and acquaintances, from high school to college, to Army friends, to law school friends and on), but that's the world we live in and I think my older kids, 15 is about right, need to learn to face and deal with such things rather than be taught they aren't there. Because they are. I've read the Bible through, several times, and am working on it again (5 chapters a day gets you through it in about 9 months), and it doesn't sugar coat anything. Murder, adultery, infanticide, dishonesty, evil of every form, is displayed for all to see. I believe for the reason that we can know they are real and must be faced and dealt with. Because evil, and good for that matter, always have a price (FYI: it is this insight that I believe King has that makes him so interesting a writer to me; and a reason I loved Desperation so much). When they were younger, I shielded them, and they don't have to know details about people they know (though if I remember my high school and junior high days they're probably farther along than they'd let on to me), but fiction is a great place to process the face of evil.

Kelly

Knowledge is power they say. I have always let my kids read and see things a little more mature probably, (nothing outright bad mind you) but things that would open up doors of discussion. And I definitely took into account their personalities, maturity levels and things happening in the community or in the world at large. I always wanted my kids to be able to talk to me about things, and not get their info from some kid so I've always been a little more open to a wide range of ideas and topics.

 

[champ1966]

Right now Jonelle is on kids books since she is only 4 but i'm with you Champ i can't wait until they are old enough to read SK

Bella bought me Revival for Christmas. I said "how did you know I like Stephen King?". She replied " well you're on his website all the time!!!". The day she picks up a SK book can't come soon enough for me. I'll probably do rereads at the same time, so we can bounce off each other.