Children's interest (was: Conspiracy Theories)

[Meredith]

No: HPFGUIDX 96759


> 
> SSS wrote:
> 
> In spite of these successes, I still thought OoP was beyond her or 
> perhaps inappropriate for a 7-year-old.  Yet she begged, and since 
I 
> wanted to read it again anyway, I caved.  She lapped it up.  I'm 
not 
> saying she gets ALL of it.  As others have said, these books can be 
> read & enjoyed at many levels.  But she has since listened to the 
> audiotapes of OoP two times.  
> 
> I realize a couple of you have questioned a 7-, 8-, or 9-year-old's 
> interest in the lives & adventures of these 15-, 16-, or 17-year-
> olds.  Surprise!!  In this family, and in many others, the interest 
> is real & of a pretty significant depth.
> 


Luckie:
After my last post, it occurred to me that we could be 
underestimating children, as adults sometimes to do. They may not 
have the "insight" we do (I doubt a 7 year old would come up with the 
ESE!Lupin theory), but sometimes children can come up wiht simple, 
yet often very probable, explanations for actions, reactions and 
events that we adults feel compelled to research in depth, cross-
checking all the other books for more information. As a 
gradeschooler, I often devoured books in days, if not hours. I could 
read 200 pages if left alone on a saturday afternoon, and probably at 
the age of 9 or so. The language/vocabulary isn't that complex that 
most kids can't figure out the words in context. In Susan's 
daughter's case, it looks like if a child is willing to tackle (with 
or without mom and dad's help) an HP book, they're probably ready to 
comprehend most of it.


SSS:
> This, btw, isn't an argument that JKR *is* writing these as 
> children's books.  I'm just responding to the question of a couple 
of 
> list members as to whether children are really all that interested 
in 
> and capable of following, particularly, the later books.


I heard JKR never intended them to publish them as "children's 
books." Publishers feel the need to categorize them, however.  It 
would be interesting to know who she thought these books would appeal 
to. The stigma of them being a children's book is also unfortunate - 
especially when I go to the children's section of the library to 
borrow them!

~Luckie Starr
>