Can my child read or watch the Harry Potter series and are they ready for Hogwarts?

[Dumbledore]

The Harry Potter franchise is one of the most significant things to happen in children’s literature in the past 50 years.

 

British author J.K Rowling released her first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone back in June 1997 for kids (and adults!) and, have since been immersed in the Wizarding World. If your kids are showing an interest in exploring Hogwarts & the magical world, then look no further.

 

Harry is 11 years old in the first book in the series and 17 by the final book, and kids generally like to read about protagonists in their age range or a couple of years older. Additionally, not only does Harry get older and the content get darker as the books progress, but the books themselves get longer, which is typically indicated for older readers.

 

About the Harry Potter Series

There are seven Harry Potter books, and they are based on fantasy and follow the adventures of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. The three are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The three friends are eleven when the first book begins and nearly eighteen at the end of the final book in the series.

The main story arc involves Harry's quest to overcome the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, who seeks to conquer the Wizarding World, subjugate non-magical people and destroy all those who stand in the way of his becoming immortal. The books tackle many themes, among them prejudice, the power of love, corruption, death, friendship, loyalty and good vs evil. They also involve elements of mystery, romance and adventure, woven together in a series of quite complex (and sometimes dark) subplots.

 

How can I figure out my child’s Harry Potter reading level?

A great way to determine whether your child is ready to start reading Harry Potter books is to ask a children’s librarian. They may not know about every single book in the library, but they definitely are familiar with all things Harry Potter. This means that they’ll be able to weigh in on not only how challenging of a read a particular book is, but also the topics and themes that are addressed in each. That will help you, as a parent, make a more informed choice about whether or not it’s time for a trip to Hogwarts.

 

Can my child watch the Harry Potter books?
Just like Harry starts his Hogwarts journey at the beginning, so does your child. Take it a step at a time, and let your kids and your parental instincts be your guide. There is no “right age.” It all depends on the child—and the parents. But there are a few age-related guidelines to take into consideration: From a technical standpoint, Harry Potter is categorized as a middle-grade read, which typically encompasses 7–to–12-year-olds. That said, Harry is 11 years old in the first book in the series and 17 by the final book, and kids generally like to read about protagonists in their age range or a couple of years older. Additionally, not only does Harry get older and the content get darker as the books progress, but the books themselves get longer, which is typically indicated for older readers.

 

“He’ll be famous—a legend—I wouldn’t be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future—there will be books written about Harry—every child in our world will know his name!” 

-Professor Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

 

Can my child read the Harry Potter books?
The answer to this question is a simple yes! The first few films are particularly fit for children, and while the themes do get darker and scenes more intense as the series progresses, the film experience would only add to the child’s world view and not impact negatively as the film treatment is not one to provide much negative influence. Of course, I’m no psychologist, but as a person who’s grown up reading/watching Harry Potter, I can confirm this opinion holds true for most cases.

 

Note to parents:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the last book in the Harry Potter sequence that feels good to read to most younger children.

Discovering the joys of Harry Potter is a rite of passage for kids today. One of the delights of discovering Harry Potter is that you see him grow up. But along with that, the subject matter of the books and movies gets scarier, the villains get viler, and beloved characters die.

So, if your family is just getting into this magical world, here's a quick age guide for enjoying Harry Potter with your kids. Keep in mind that all kids are different, so assess your child's ability to handle fright and peril before you see the movies or read the books.

First, you must know that the books of the Harry Potter series must be read in order of publication. As they build on each other. The order of the books is as follows:

 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Recommended reading age: 7-9. 

Lexile Rank: 880L.

Content warnings: magical creatures (three-headed dog, vicious hooded figure over a dead unicorn, dim-witted but violent troll), mentions of blood, mention of drunkenness

Purchase:
https://amzn.to/30Giz5k

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Recommended reading age: 7-9. 

Lexile Rank: 940L.

Content warnings: dangerous situations, underage driving, giant spiders, giant serpent, coma-like states, blood, snake bite/venom, near-death experience

Purchase:
https://amzn.to/2Z8F4Q6

 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Recommended reading age: 9-11

Lexile Rank: 880L.

Content warnings:  scary magical creatures known as Dementors (hooded, flying nightmarish creatures that cause dread and can kill), stalking, menacing, being “marked for death”, discussion of a potential serial killer

Purchase:
https://amzn.to/3CtvODG

 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Recommended reading age: 10-12

Lexile Rank: 880L.

Content warnings: death of a teenage character, blood, torture, severed hand, possession, imprisonment, minor drinking

Purchase:
https://amzn.to/3HD7GCe

 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Recommended reading age: 10-12

Lexile Rank: 950L.

Content warnings: death of a loved one, torture, targeting of teens by adults who want them dead, attack by large snake, violence, minor drinking, minor swearing

Purchase:
https://amzn.to/32kau7i

 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Recommended reading age: 11-13

Lexile Rank: 1030L.

Content warnings: death of a loved one/major character, discussions of murder and disappearances, zombie-like creatures, blood, violence

Purchase:

https://amzn.to/3DCSD9c

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Recommended reading age: 12-14

Lexile Rank: 980L.

Content warnings: major and minor deaths, violence, blood, murder, death of a pet

Purchase:

https://amzn.to/3kVSoyZ

 

You’re going to be reading a lot of strange words

Quaffle. Flobberworm. Riddikulus! Get ready for all manner of weird and wonderful words, guys. These are not your every-day books. But don’t worry, everything will be explained as you go along, and soon, the words of the wizarding world will be a second language!

TOP TIPS FOR READING TO YOU CHILD!

• Don't Skip the Scary Parts
  You might not be able to predict what will be unnerving to your children—it could be Lord Voldemort, or the Dursleys might be deeply upsetting. It’s better to help your kids figure out how to cope with the suspenseful parts.
• Try Not To Get Hung Up On The Voices
  There are lots of characters in the series, and you can exhaust yourself coming up with a different speaking style for each one. Just do the major characters.

 

Books vs Films

The films, especially later in the series, tend to cut out a great deal of relevant information and even entire characters in order to condense the plot into a brief enough script to make a film out of. If you really want to understand the full story (and want to avoid giant plot holes and incorrect retelling of events from the books), then we strongly urge you to read the series first!

 

Original Artwork of the Books


Original Artwork of the US Books

Trivia: The first book in the Harry Potter series was released on June 1997. It was followed by six further books, all of which have been hugely popular around the world, selling over 450 million copies. 
 

What is the difference between the Harry Potter adult edition and the Harry Potter children edition?

They have different covers for these editions but, the content is exactly the same. Adult readers felt uncomfortable reading Harry Potter while in public, for example, in a café or library or trains while travelling. So it was a marketing decision to take out two different book covers, one for kids and one for adults. There is no difference in the text or story of these two versions. They are identical. Another thing which is different in the kids’ version and the adult version is the font size. In the adult version, the font size is smaller than the kids’ version.

 

[Professor Patrick]

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