Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post by mystery »

Is it suitable for a not yet 9 year old? I really cannot bear to read any Harry Potter for more than about 2 pages so I can't find out for myself. I am sure she will not understand the parody it supposedly contains but is there anything in it that could be just way too scary or unsuitable in some other way for her age group?
Okanagan
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Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:20 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post by Okanagan »

It depends upon your child and how easily they're scared I suppose. But there's nothing in it I'd have worried about a year 4 child reading. The whole witches/wizards/magic thing is so obviously drawn from fantasy, and at that age they're easily capable of distinguishing between fantasy and reality. In fact (shoot me if you want to) I let my almost 6 year old listen to the unabridged versions of Harry Potter on audio disc, although there will no doubt be some parts of it which go over his head at the moment. The Stephen Fry versions are well read, and I'm quite a big fan of using audio discs with children, not only for listening skills, but to imbue a sense of delivery and presentation, and to give access to literature which is beyond their reading abilities but not beyond their understanding.
DenDe
Posts: 390
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:45 pm

Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post by DenDe »

My year 4 DD has read the whole series. I don't suppose she understood the subtleties but she certainly wasn't disturbed by the books in any way.
fatbananas
Posts: 1411
Joined: Mon Mar 08, 2010 2:03 pm

Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post by fatbananas »

My DS has read all of them except the last one. The last one opens with a scene of civil servants in Whitehall; it put him off (as a former one of those, myself, I can only admire his discernment!). I can't remember which one Goblet of Fire is, but I think after book 3 or 4 they get increasingly dark. One of them opens with some horror scene which, to be honest, I found repellent when I read it (a baby on a gravestone?), but he seemed fine with it and he's usually quite a sensitive lad! He can't get through Michael Morpurgo, too upsetting, but perhaps that seems too real-life to him, whereas HP is obviously fantasy.
Seize the day ... before it seizes you.
yoyo123
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Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post by yoyo123 »

my son loved them at that age
Tinkers
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Location: Reading

Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post by Tinkers »

My DD has just finished it and we watched it at the weekend. She is nearly 11 and was fine with it.
One of the characters dies and theres a little (and I mean a little)hint of teenage romance, but nothing I would have got upset with her reading at 9.

One of her friends read them at 6 or 7.
stroudydad
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Joined: Sat Oct 08, 2011 2:25 pm

Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post by stroudydad »

DS read them at that age, and had no problems.
splash
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2012 10:21 am
Location: Uk

Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post by splash »

I introduced to my daughter the Philosopher's stone when she was 8. She wasn't keen on reading at all and said other people she knew said it was 'brutal', because it was full of killing. I encouraged her a lot and now she is 10, and finished the Deathly hallows when she was 9. I don't think it is a problem at all and it is the same with all children; with a bit of stimulus they can succeed.
From Splash :-)
fizzypops
Posts: 69
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 8:52 pm
Location: UK

Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post by fizzypops »

splash wrote: I don't think it is a problem at all and it is the same with all children; with a bit of stimulus they can succeed.
Exactly. Well said Splash.
FP Fizzypops
Looking for help
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Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:12 am
Location: Berkshire

Re: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Post by Looking for help »

My son read them all while still in primary and is still reading them today, much to my disgust, although he is currently reading them in German. :shock: (apparently this is a good way to improve your MFL skills)
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