What age group are these books suitable for?

[damejacquie]

My son, who is almost 8 has asked his nan to get him these books for his birthday next week.  She is concerned that they will not be suitable for him. 

He is an advanced 7 year old, who has read all the Harry Potters, all the Narnias, The Hobbit, Eragon and Eldest, to name but a few!

Can someone who has read these books, please give me some feedback as to whether they would be suitable for him.  It's very difficult to find books for him because the books specifically aimed at his age, he reads within a day!

Thanks for your help in advance!

[Tamara_Knight]

I hope this will be of some help.
My 11 year old brother, who is not too ambitious of a reader just read the first two.
If you are concerned about the content- there is some minor language in the books and tons of action which involve death and guns. I have bought all the books and marked out the offensive words before my younger brothers read them.
I have not read any of the books you mentioned, except a few of the Narnias, but I think Alex Rider would be great for your son.
If you are unsure, maybe you could test out a book by reading it to him ( just for pleasure I have read them to my family on road trips-everyone enjoys them! Including my Grandma, who has borrowed all of the books from us)  or borrow one from the library and see how he does.
I don't think they will be to long. In fact, if he has a lot of time, he may finish some within a day! They are all page turners!
I hope this answered your question. I am a little unsure what you mean by "unsutable".
Over all, they are thrilling, well written books for all kinds of ages. 

[SUPERMAN]

My son, who is almost 8 has asked his nan to get him these books for his birthday next week.  She is concerned that they will not be suitable for him. 

He is an advanced 7 year old, who has read all the Harry Potters, all the Narnias, The Hobbit, Eragon and Eldest, to name but a few!

Can someone who has read these books, please give me some feedback as to whether they would be suitable for him.  It's very difficult to find books for him because the books specifically aimed at his age, he reads within a day!

Thanks for your help in advance!

Well 've read all the books you have mentioned, narnia and the hbbit at a rather early age (6-8) and eragon nd eldest lately.

I got into Alex Rider at the age of 8 or 9, and thought it was marvellous and not unsuitable at all. Like Tamara_Knight said there is violence lke shooting with guns but not frightening enough to leave the child scarred for life or havng nightmares for the rest of the week. There is a lot of action which some people find frightening but I find adds to the books charm.

Overall I think the Alex Rider series is perfect for your son, but maybe you should introduce him to some of Anthony's other work, like the Diamond Brothers series or the devil and his boy if you remain uncertain.

They're really shouldn't be ay problem with the books as they are written superbly and designd for all ages.

Regards, SUPERMAN

[AR316]

I also think that you shouldn't have any problems, but if you are still unsure, you can always try borrowing one of the books from the library and reading it yourself. You might even enjoy them yourself. 

[Shyam]

I've read all the books a few times, and there is definitely no material that is unsuitable for an 8 year old..

[DilanMelis]

=]

I think that the books are fine for anyone that can read all the books you mentioned as above.

You shouldn't have much of a worry in allowing your son to read the Alex Rider series. But if you're concerned about things like a tad bit of violence, maybe you'd like to watch the movie first? They're quite similar in that sense, but I'd say it should be fine.

[mac611]

I started reading them when I was 9. He might not understand all of it (some of it I didn't get until I read them again) but he will like them.

[nadeeja_s_liyanage]

If he has read books like harry potter and eragon already i think that the Alex rider series would really suit him. I think that he'ss enjoy them very much. Maybe give him one book at a time to see if he like the book or not. I'm pretty sure that he will though. I think that that the alex rider series won't be too hard for him to read and he will enjoy all the fun gadgets and actions in the books.

Hope this helped

[silverwinged_angel]

Yeah, i agree with you guys
If he's read Harry Potter, he can read Alex Rider (probably) no doubt.
Harry Potter has more violence and language(i think) than Alex Rider, so it should be fine.
Just like everyone else that has posted has said.

[masterwolfie]

My brother's 8 also and he's read the Alex Rider books up to Skeleton Key...he enjoys them a lot but I often have to explain things to him (what smallpox his, what cloning is, what nuclear bombs are xD)

[Alex12345]

Wow, a 8 yrs old doesn't know waht cloning and nukes are! That's just wierd. But, i'm not being mean or anything.

[Rainbowstar]

i think it's more normal for an 8 year old to not know what it is than to know what it is.  cloning and nukes and stuff are heavy subjects, and whildren should not be bothered with those until they're absolutely ready.  a child should be able to be a carelessfun loving creature for as long as they can.

as for the age group...if he's read those toher books, anthony horrowitz' books should be a piece of cake.  Some of the others you mentioned are harder to read than Alex Rider.  I do think they are written for 12 yo's and older, at least that's what they're usually stored in the stores, but then....the other books you mentioned are also usually seen as for older children

I'm surprised to read about "marking out" some words...there aren't any words in the Anthony Horowitz oeuvre that i would call unfit for children, or feel the need to mark out...

[masterwolfie]

I agree with Rainbowstar  about how children should be carefree for as loooong as possible!

As far as written language goes, the AR books should be ok for someone who's also read HP, Narnia, and the Eragon books, but as far as CONTENT goes...the AR books are a bit mature with a lot of shooting and death and such xD oh and all the stuff my brother didn't understand

Like (SPOILERS)
in Stormbreaker, the part were Yassen shoots someone for dropping a crate (of smallpox...but nevertheless a crate xD) or how Nadia Vole dies from...eh...embracing the jellyfish (lmao)

[London]

These books are for 9-12 but don't worry i still read them..

[Rainbowstar]

These books are for 9-12 but don't worry i still read them..

here in belgium they're sold for 12-14