good 1st time read for an 11-year old?

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Manxkitti

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I think it depends on what he/she would be able to handle. Maybe hold off on the scarier stuff or material that has adult content until a bit older? My first read was Christine at 16. With no ill effects.

The 2 that come to mind for an 11 year old would be Eyes of the Dragon and The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon.

I don't want to recommend something that will give nightmares.
 

Neesy

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I think it depends on what he/she would be able to handle. Maybe hold off on the scarier stuff or material that has adult content until a bit older? My first read was Christine at 16. With no ill effects.

The 2 that come to mind for an 11 year old would be Eyes of the Dragon and The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon.

I don't want to recommend something that will give nightmares.
Agree - Eyes of the Dragon is great, and if you could get the Pop Up version of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon I think kids would love that one :encouragement::reading::monkey:
 
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stephcarson

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Jan 12, 2016
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Eyes of the Dragon is the ONLY one written for children. I keep thinking some of the other stories MIGHT be ok for my little one, and then I reread them. NO! They are for adults. It's up to you when they can handle some of these. I teach seventh grade and have one (and ONLY one) student who is reading Stephen King. I talk to him about it and let him know other stories that go with what he likes, but I cannot recommend them to him. They are not appropriate, but I am not his mother. There is casual adult stuff thrown in all the time. Pretty vivid. It IS Stephen King.

I haven't read the story in awhile but the only thing I recall is the casual reference to his inability to perform sexually, I can't recall the phrasing but that is why he needed Flagg's potions to stoke the Dragon's fire and the like. I'm not sure how obvious this was. My ten-year-old wants to read some of my King and I think I'll be letting him read this one. I have also explained to him that the others aren't appropriate for him yet.

When I was 11 or 13, I decided to pick a short story on my own (Mom said I couldn't read Stephen King. Ha! I would show HER.) and thought "The Bogeyman" was innocuous enough. Yeah, right. Nightmares for ages!
 
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Kurben

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Eyes of the Dragon is the ONLY one written for children. I keep thinking some of the other stories MIGHT be ok for my little one, and then I reread them. NO! They are for adults. It's up to you when they can handle some of these. I teach seventh grade and have one (and ONLY one) student who is reading Stephen King. I talk to him about it and let him know other stories that go with what he likes, but I cannot recommend them to him. They are not appropriate, but I am not his mother. There is casual adult stuff thrown in all the time. Pretty vivid. It IS Stephen King.

I haven't read the story in awhile but the only thing I recall is the casual reference to his inability to perform sexually, I can't recall the phrasing but that is why he needed Flagg's potions to stoke the Dragon's fire and the like. I'm not sure how obvious this was. My ten-year-old wants to read some of my King and I think I'll be letting him read this one. I have also explained to him that the others aren't appropriate for him yet.

When I was 11 or 13, I decided to pick a short story on my own (Mom said I couldn't read Stephen King. Ha! I would show HER.) and thought "The Bogeyman" was innocuous enough. Yeah, right. Nightmares for ages!
Have you considered the Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon? I think that might fit younger readers.
 
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muskrat

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About the only book I'd yank from my kid's hands would be Mein Kampf. I mean, if a kid can sit through all 1000 plus pages of IT (as I did at that age), he or she has reached a level of mental maturity, and, quite frankly, is on their way to being an intelligent human being. It's the kids that ain't reading that you gotta worry about.

Well, I dunno...maybe IT was a bad example. Let's say DT.
 

stephcarson

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Jan 12, 2016
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Have you considered the Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon? I think that might fit younger readers.
There was a monster in the woods! And the child was separated from the family. Neither of these would go over well with my child. A bit of violence or language, that would be okay. Danger to family or creepy things hiding in the dark, no way. Nightmare city. When he's older!

I'm a firm believer in R-ratings aren't generally appropriate for under 17. Not to say I may disagree with a rating and my son may watch some PG-13's when he's 12, but it's a decent rule. Most books are at a fifth grade reading level. It does NOT mean it's ok for fifth graders to read. Let kids be kids while they can be.
 
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Kurben

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There was a monster in the woods! And the child was separated from the family. Neither of these would go over well with my child. A bit of violence or language, that would be okay. Danger to family or creepy things hiding in the dark, no way. Nightmare city. When he's older!

I'm a firm believer in R-ratings aren't generally appropriate for under 17. Not to say I may disagree with a rating and my son may watch some PG-13's when he's 12, but it's a decent rule. Most books are at a fifth grade reading level. It does NOT mean it's ok for fifth graders to read. Let kids be kids while they can be.
OK. i just thought that that story is no worse than some of Grimm fairytales or H.C. Andersen for that matter that kids hear rather early on. These fairytales could be rather gruesome at times with monsters and evil stepmothers, you name it and its there. But to each its own.
 
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stephcarson

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Jan 12, 2016
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OK. i just thought that that story is no worse than some of Grimm fairytales or H.C. Andersen for that matter that kids hear rather early on. These fairytales could be rather gruesome at times with monsters and evil stepmothers, you name it and its there. But to each its own.
Agreed, all are different. I think you're right in that it isn't much different from Grimm BUT I don't recall being transported into the story when I read Grimm like I do when I read King. Grimm is fantasy, but King seems like reality. You know? And TGWLJG just seems TOO real! Just had a case of a little boy lost in the woods and he died of exposure.
 
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OK. i just thought that that story is no worse than some of Grimm fairytales or H.C. Andersen for that matter that kids hear rather early on. These fairytales could be rather gruesome at times with monsters and evil stepmothers, you name it and its there. But to each its own.

Boy howdy, you got that right. Snow White's evil stepmom gave me serious nightmares. Even nursery rhymes are scary... Ashes, ashes, we all fall down. If Grimm or Disney doesn't upset a child, they can read just about anything.
 
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muskrat

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While I understand the views of cautious parents, I must also ask: just what the hell do you think is gonna happen if yer kid reads, oh, say Misery? Is little Johnny or Sue gonna race right out and kidnap a famous writer and torture them? Will reading Pet Semetary turn them into grave robbing ghouls? So you're basically saying Fredrick Wertham was right. Shame.


"What are we afraid of? Are we afraid of our own children? Do we forget that they are citizens, too, and entitled to select what to read or do? Do we think our children are so evil, so simple minded, that it takes a story of murder to set them to murder, a story of robbery to set them to robbery?"

--William Gaines, publisher of Tales From The Crypt and Mad.
 

GNTLGNT

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There was a monster in the woods! And the child was separated from the family. Neither of these would go over well with my child. A bit of violence or language, that would be okay. Danger to family or creepy things hiding in the dark, no way. Nightmare city. When he's older!

I'm a firm believer in R-ratings aren't generally appropriate for under 17. Not to say I may disagree with a rating and my son may watch some PG-13's when he's 12, but it's a decent rule. Most books are at a fifth grade reading level. It does NOT mean it's ok for fifth graders to read. Let kids be kids while they can be.
....on the flip side of the "he ain't ready for it coin" is the fact that separated or not, the heroine of the tale shows great resilience and courage...traits that any young person can look up to....and the "monster"?... much ado about nothing....
 
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Kurben

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Agreed, all are different. I think you're right in that it isn't much different from Grimm BUT I don't recall being transported into the story when I read Grimm like I do when I read King. Grimm is fantasy, but King seems like reality. You know? And TGWLJG just seems TOO real! Just had a case of a little boy lost in the woods and he died of exposure.
OK, but Scratch horror stories in general of the list then since they can be nightmare material. Why not go for some good oldfashioned Adventure stories. Jules verne? In Search of the Castaways (the Children of Captain Grant) or The Mysterious Island or Journey to the Center of the Earth. Great Adventure stories and they exist in many editions from the original to the abridged youth edition. Same with Dumas, The Three Musketeers or The Count of Monté Cristo. Or if you like an american try Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan the Apeman. Good adventure story. Perhaps he wrote too many but the first is good. Or if you like an englishman try Rudyard Kipling. The Jungle Book or Captain Courageous. And then there is always Poes short stories or are they too advanced? Just some ideas.
 
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Gerald

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Sep 8, 2011
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I am looking for suggestions on what would be a good first time read for my 11-year old. I am an avid fan and have read all Stephen King books, and one of my children would like to start their journey as well. My question..... which one would be most appropriate given my child's age? Thinking of adult content and language here. Thanks for any suggestions!

Sorry if I misunderstand, but if you read ALL the books, wouldn't you know yourself...?

I read my first King when I was about fifteen (Salem's Lot). Actually isn't it strange that there are age ratings for movies and games, but not for books?
 
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Donovan Martin

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Jun 5, 2016
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I think your son should read It. You should tell him after reading It (or listen to It via audiobook because it is over a thousand pages) I find kids a lot more mature than normal parents. If 9 year olds can handle GTA without that I'm going to go steal a car feeling, kids older than that will be able to handle the concept of It (excluding the kids in Maine). Kids hear foul language all the time, so if they don't curse the first time, they won't curse. Most kids are actually not new to the concepts of sex and child molestation at the age of eleven. You should have a talk with your son about these concepts and make sure he knows them. Roald Dahl has lots of language in his popular books (you must have let him read Roald Dahl once). Reread It then talk to your son about the concepts and make sure he knows this.
 

William8675309

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I'd have to redact the sex stuff in Eyes of the Dragon. The rest of it is fine but while I was rereading it recently to perhaps give to my 10 year old, I read about the old king wanting or having sex with his young queen and it seemed a bit much for that age. Maybe some stories in Skeleton Crew. Its odd to me that I'm more worried about the sex stuff than some of the violence. Maybe it should be the opposite.