3rd grade. We started the first book together and then she finished it on her own. She read all of the second book as well and then stopped. They started to get a bit too scary for her. I kind of wish we had waited longer really. She could handle it just fine now but has no interest in going back because "too scary."
We tried reading book 1 out loud last year in second grade. I could tell about 2 pages in this was going to keep DD awake at night so we stopped. She’s also the kid who was always covering her eyes during Disney movies anxiously asking “is the villain coming?” so she doesn’t handle scary things that well yet.
Post by thebreakfastclub on Oct 7, 2021 8:22:12 GMT -5
My plan is never. I guess I was an adult when those came out, I have never read them or seen the movies and have no interest. I had some low-level dread that my son would want to read them, but he saw 2 of the movies at daycare and is not interested. #blessed
We started end of second grade going into third (which was Spring 2020). I did not read aloud, they read them on their own. Reading the Harry Potter books and then watching the movie together was kind of our peak covid/can't leave the house project when schools shut down and we didn't have any places to go. They're advanced readers so we didn't run into any issues with it until they started getting to the very scary last couple books that have some traumatic scenes like Dobby or the battle of Hogwarts. Then the subject matter got kind of scary, but we've worked through it and stopped reading right before bed.
I started mid year in 2nd grade with DS and we read the first 2 together, then started the 3rd and mid way through he was off and running and plowing through all 7. He's in 6th grade and rereads them 1-2 times a year.
I started last year in 2nd grade with DD and she fought me tooth and nail. Only made it through a chapter or two. She's in 3rd now and still not interested. *sob* She likes HP and has seen most of the movies since DS loves them and we've watched them for family movie night. I'm annoyed that she won't read the books. I can't incentivize her with the movies since she's already seen them. I guess it's just not for every kid.
She asked to start reading them last year in 2nd grade. We went with the illustrated versions to start (they're not all out). She's also watched all of the movies.
They're not well written, so reading them together was hard at the beginning because I kept wanting to fix the writing and my kid was all "MOM STOP."
Current 1st grade parent, and not yet. I'm trying to hold out a little longer because I think the first few would be ok, but the latter part of the series gets a little darker and scarier and she is not ready for that.
We've read the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets but DD (5) got pretty scared by the 2nd one so I don't think she's ready for any more of them yet.
DD is 9 and very sensitive, we have tried HP several times, but she always gets scared. I have an advanced reader and we have always faced content vs challenge problem. Most books with appropriate content are very easy for her, but due to her sensitive nature I can't find a lot of options for a challenge.
I think the first book or two are fine for most 6+ year olds, but later books I wouldn't want my early elementary child to read since they get darker and more mature.
I told DS I'd read the first one to him when he's 7/8 which will be when he's in 2nd grade. He's currently in kinder so we have a few years to go. :-p
Honestly I'm more excited to read him books by Gordan Korman. My oldest sister read them to me as bedtime stories starting when I was in 1st/2nd. I have such good memories of that. <3 They're not in print anymore but thankfully I already own my favorites.
Post by expectantsteelerfan on Oct 7, 2021 10:05:36 GMT -5
We started too early with my kids. Dh and I both love the books and made the rule that they had to read the books before watching the movies, and that we'd go to Universal once they finished all the books and movies. So we couldn't wait for them to start reading the books and pushed it a bit. I think we tried to read the 1st one together with ds in K and he couldn't pay attention long enough to get into it. So we put it down and said we'd let him pick it up again. And I think he did in 3rd, and he read and enjoyed the first 3 books, but then as they got longer and more serious, he would take longer with them, and eventually he just stopped reading in the middle of the Half Blood Prince and has refused to pick it up again (and I think that was the summer after 4th, and he's now in 7th). I don't think he got scared by it, but got bored. He's read long books since then (the whole Wings of Fire series), but claims he has no interest in finishing Harry Potter. And my dd tends to take her cues from him. She started the books in 2nd grade and stopped sometime during Order of the Phoenix. I tried again this summer to get them to read the books so we could do a movie marathon and finally watch beyond the 4th movie, but they shot me down.
Post by somersault72 on Oct 7, 2021 11:33:16 GMT -5
I *think* I started reading them to DS when he was in 2nd grade. He could have read them himself but that was a bonding experience for us. Neither of us actually never finished the last book, LOL. He had already seen at a couple of the movies. Since I was reading aloud it took us awhile to get through them so nothing felt inappropriate or too scary for him.
Anecdote: my friend read them with her son, who is 9 months older than mine. Both of us knew about most of the main characters who died in the books. But one day she texted me and said "They killed the fucking owl! Can you believe it? The fucking owl! All the characters to kill off and they killed the fucking owl!" It was soooo funny (the way she put it), but I TOTALLY get it, because I can totally watch/read about a human dying before a pet. Also I was glad she warned me because I didn't know they "killed the fucking owl."
We started reading the first one aloud last year (age 7) and plan to read the next one this year. I'd love to read them one per year so she can grow with the characters, but they might get a bit too scary too fast (and DD is super sensitive), so we'll take breaks if/when we need to. I'm a school librarian and I'd say a lot of my students fly through them in 3rd/4th grade, but I think they miss out on a lot of the themes (but they'll read it again later when they're older if they want).
I *think* I started reading them to DS when he was in 2nd grade. He could have read them himself but that was a bonding experience for us. Neither of us actually never finished the last book, LOL. He had already seen at a couple of the movies. Since I was reading aloud it took us awhile to get through them so nothing felt inappropriate or too scary for him.
Anecdote: my friend read them with her son, who is 9 months older than mine. Both of us knew about most of the main characters who died in the books. But one day she texted me and said "They killed the fucking owl! Can you believe it? The fucking owl! All the characters to kill off and they killed the fucking owl!" It was soooo funny (the way she put it), but I TOTALLY get it, because I can totally watch/read about a human dying before a pet. Also I was glad she warned me because I didn't know they "killed the fucking owl."
Yeah on like page 7 of the 7th book. I cried. lol. Dobby, too. God I was a mess most of that book.
E is 6.5 (1st grade) and wants to watch all the movies so bad. He's seen the first two and said they were a little scary, but he wasn't overly bothered by it. We've been waiting on him watching the others so far. I wouldn't mind him starting the books in the next couple years, but since they're so long, I may have him wait. He's a very strong reader so I don't think that would be an issue, just the scarier/more intense content.
I read the 1st book to DD in K for read a thon. I read it to her again in 1st. She read the 1st-3rd book in 2nd grade and had a hard time finishing the 3rd book. She read the whole series during COVID March shut down in 3rd and has read the series over a few times since then. She has her favorite books and will get the audiobooks from the library to listen to while she does craft projects. She is a huge HP fan. We also did the read a book watch the movie deal. She still runs off during parts of the movie because it is too scary. DD and I will pause the movie to add in parts the movie left out but are important from the book.
Post by polarbearfans on Oct 7, 2021 12:01:03 GMT -5
We started in kindergarten. We have one version with little pop-ups and moveable items that add to it plus the illustrated versions. We just do a little at a time and haven’t finished the first book. She is 6 and loves the movie. I feel the first one and maybe the second are age appropriate, but the others seems to be a little scarier and more mature.
Probably 3rd grade would be better for the book since it is so long, but my daughter likes having a little of the book read to her. It is easy to do just a small portion at a time with how the story flows.
I'd say 2-4th, with 3/4 being ideal. I think we started in 2nd when she picked up on my obsession. We do one book a year (Santa brings her the illustrated version, which we read through together) and that has worked well.
Side note: she was already telling us how excited she was to get the 5th illustrated book from Santa this year. WHOMP WHOMP, it won't be out. So we had to explain that sometimes Santa can't make things come faster and she may have to wait.
Post by steamboat185 on Oct 7, 2021 12:32:04 GMT -5
DD listened to the audiobooks in 1st and 2nd grade mostly due to Covid. We had so much time to kill and the books kept her entertained. They are a bit dark in the later books, but I’ve read them so many times myself we knew when the scary parts were and would be in the room if she got worried.
I read the first one with DS1 when he was in first. We have the illustrated versions and he loved it. We started the second and I think we abandoned it at some point. He reread the paperback versions and now is reading book four or five on his own. He’s in fifth grade. He loves them so much he takes his time reading them to get all the details. He waxes and wanes with his love of reading so I’m happy he’s got more to go.