When is Your Kid Ready for J.R.R. Tolkien? A Guide to Getting Started
If you’re a parent who loves fantasy, you might assume your kids are just magically going to read The Lord of the Rings one day and fall in love with it. But if you want to be more proactive, when’s the right age to encourage them to begin? Even The Hobbit, which starts the series off, is a thick tome, and though it was published for young readers and has a story that moves along fairly briskly, Tolkien still expects a lot from readers, never dumbing down the vocabulary and world-building, and not noticeably softening the scary and tragic bits. And the three books that make up The Lord of the Rings can be more than a bit daunting.
The Lord of the Rings
Paperback $35.00
The Lord of the Rings
In Stock Online
Paperback $35.00
So how do you know if your kid is ready? There’s no one right answer, but here are some things to think about.
So how do you know if your kid is ready? There’s no one right answer, but here are some things to think about.
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door.”
As far as mature content goes, you don’t have to worry about offering the books to young kids of 8 or 9 years old. There’s no sex or sexual violence in the books, and no bad language. There’s a lot of bloody mayhem, and some dark magic at work, but good wins in the end, and there’s probably nothing that kids of 8 or 9 haven’t already been exposed to in one way or another. The darkness in the books progresses, building up gradually to the horror of Sauron’s realm of Mordor, and since the books are long, your kid will be older at the end than at the beginning…
“I know we are going to take a very long road, into darkness; but I know I can’t turn back. It isn’t to see Elves now, nor dragons, nor mountains, that I want—I don’t rightly know what I want: but I have something to do before the end, and it lies ahead, not in the Shire. I must see it through, sir, if you understand me.”
The Hobbit
Paperback $18.99
The Hobbit
By
J. R. R. Tolkien
Illustrator
J. R. R. Tolkien
In Stock Online
Paperback $18.99
Your young reader will need a decent attention span. The first time through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings can be confusing, although if your kid has seen the movies, this won’t be as much of an issue. Lots happens; lots of characters with strange names appear and disappear again, and there are lots of places to keep track of. The books can’t be put down and then picked up again a few weeks later. Wait till your kid is a strong and committed reader, or a good listener if you are still enjoying bedtime reading together. Reading out loud, or listening to the audiobook, is a great way to begin, with the parent on hand to answer questions if necessary (there will be many words your young reader won’t recognize, for instance).
Your young reader will need a decent attention span. The first time through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings can be confusing, although if your kid has seen the movies, this won’t be as much of an issue. Lots happens; lots of characters with strange names appear and disappear again, and there are lots of places to keep track of. The books can’t be put down and then picked up again a few weeks later. Wait till your kid is a strong and committed reader, or a good listener if you are still enjoying bedtime reading together. Reading out loud, or listening to the audiobook, is a great way to begin, with the parent on hand to answer questions if necessary (there will be many words your young reader won’t recognize, for instance).
“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”
An already strong love for fantasy, especially fantasy inspired by the romance of the Middle Ages, is helpful. Does your kid love dragons? The story of King Arthur? Desperate quests against fiendish foes with swords shining in the sunlight and horns blowing in the morning? Then they are ready for this most wonderful of all epic adventures!
“It is best to love first what you are fitted to love, I suppose: you must start somewhere and have some roots, and the soil of the Shire is deep.”
Tolkien’s books ask a lot from their readers, and if a kid is too young to begin the journey, they might lose interest, and never finish the books. But they give an awful lot back in return; reading the books at a young and impressionable age is a magical experience. My own mother read me both the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings when I was eight, and the books became so important to me that I wrote my college application essay about how they shaped my view of the world (I got accepted).
When do you think is a good time to introduce your kids to Tolkien?