My ten year old most recently finished the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series. He picked up our copy William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and wants to read it.
I’m open to introducing him to more mature and complex themes, but dont want to traumatize him.
What’s your thoughts? I’m thinking this may not be suitable, and is a big jump from what he’s accustomed to. Any recommendations on alternative books with similar themes that are less traumatizing and easier to digest for a 10 year old? If this is a big jump, how do you recommend he progresses?
by SecretOther289
16 Comments
Hatchet maybe? Or My Side of the Mountain? Themes of kids surviving in the wilderness.
I don’t think the subject matter is too mature. When I was growing up my house was full of books. I would ask my mother if I could read a certain book. She said I could try it as long as I could understand it. I read Nicholas and Alexandra when I was 12. Lord of the Flies has a lot of themes that I think could be pertinent even to a younger person about reverting to mob mentality and bullying. Many copies have class notes and questions in the back. So if your child is interested and you think is mature enough to discuss some of the themes in the book, I would say go for it. It’s a classic and one I revisit often.
The Animorphs series by K A Applegate. It’s pretty infamous for being a kid-appropriate adventure series that brings up some deep themes about the realities of being a kid in life threatening danger.
I read James Bond at that age and though it’s not the same as Golding, here’s my thoughts. When reading the Bond books as an adult, I was surprised how much innuendo and adult themes went right over my head because I didn’t have the experience nor the maturity to understand. I enjoyed them immensely and didn’t know what I didn’t know. So I didn’t feel like I missed out. The adult me raised an eyebrow at my ten year old self being allowed to read this but it really just bounced right off. That’s a way of saying that I think your child will adjust to the themes. Reading is different than you exposing him to, say, the movie. Your call, though.
Alternatives? Tolkien; Lewis’s Space Trilogy; Philip K. Dick; Philip Pullman; some of Jack Vance (but watch out! He can get very explicit); Dune; The Black Cauldron; water ship Down.
You might try Enders Game, if he likes fantasy he might enjoy sci-fi too
I read lord of the flies when I was that old. If you’re really concerned about content, it’s a quick read, read it again first and see how you feel about letting him read it (and remember, he had to read about poor dobby being killed, he might be more ready than you think lol)
13 and up is the recommendation as far as readability/comprehension goes. That’s what I check for as a parent, is my young reader going to be bored or discouraged because of difficulty or writing styles or dialogue that may seem archaic or hard to relate to.
If he liked Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, I would highly highly recommend the Cradles series. It’s a progression fantasy style series with 12 books total. Fiction book with the main protagonist starting off weak and bullied by his community. Over the course of the series you watch him grow and become extremely powerful. If you’re son in into superpowers, magic, fantasy type genres and likes action and atrong characters, this is a phenomenal series. Only note is that the first book is a little bit slow to start, but it picks up really fast after that
I feel like {{Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card}} may be a little much for a 10 year old due to some violence. I might say hold off a year or two for that, but I would absolutely recommend that book and that entire series.
I also feel like {{Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams}} would be one to do when he gets a bit older, bit I would also still suggest the series for this one too.
I would definitely recommend {{Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke}} and {{Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman}} now.
Weird recommendation, but the Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. There’s a lot in it about human nature and cruelty, why people are cruel, and what motivates them, and even multiple case studies of this in the book, but it’s presented wrapped in a fantastical setting and is overall gentler than Lord of the Flies and ends happily. But I’m answering this question as someone who doesn’t think Lord of the Flies is about regression to base instincts in the absence of law/order, vs how cruelty and violence function in systems of social organization.
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Leguin is perfectly age-appropriate, and I think it deals with issues of morality, community, and human nature in a way that is much more optimistic and humanistic than Lord of the Flies. I don’t think either one is right or wrong, but if he’s interested in thinking about human morality and other complex themes without excessive violence, I highly recommend.
I read that at about age eleven. It was not frightening, but probably a lot of it went over my head.
I’m surprised no one has recommended hunger games yet, would that be too mature for 10? The movies are great too, and just in time for the new prequel.
I think it’s fine. The “sharpen a pole on *both* sides” thing will fly straight over his head. He’s old enough to know that people can fight and get hurt and sometimes get killed, but apart from the implication in that two sides line, Lord of the Flies isn’t really that graphic.
I read it at like 12 or 13 and I remembered it as a very innocent kind of adventure story, until I reread it this year (22 years later) and realized there’s some really dark things going on underneath.
Sure. Why not? Isn’t that how old the kids are?
Either your kid will drop or finish it and be smarter than their peers.
Maybe look for some books about Camelot or about Royal Court like King Henry the 8th that are geared towards younger people. They are historical and educational as well as having that Harry Potter kind of flavor.
My 9 year old read it (without my knowing) and was…not traumatized, just a bit shocked and worried for a couple nights. But he liked it.