To Young?

[Adriane]

My oldest child, who is 9 (almost 10) is the biggest bookworm that I have ever met.  She wants a Kindle.  Do you think that she is to young.  I wish there was a way to search books on Amazon by age range.  I know that a few of the books that she has read were in a kindle version.  She has read a few on mine.  It is the only thing that she wants for her birthday (which is in May).

We are moving to Korea (my husband is an army officer) in June and I thought a Kindle would be easier than lugging books with us.  I know that we will not be able to use whispernet while there, but we can download them and transfer them.  We will still have an American address, etc.

What do you all think?  Thank you!

[Bacardi Jim]

*sits on to of his fingers*

[Leslie]

My oldest child, who is 9 (almost 10) is the biggest bookworm that I have ever met.  She wants a Kindle.  Do you think that she is to young.  I wish there was a way to search books on Amazon by age range.  I know that a few of the books that she has read were in a kindle version.  She has read a few on mine.  It is the only thing that she wants for her birthday (which is in May).

We are moving to Korea (my husband is an army officer) in June and I thought a Kindle would be easier than lugging books with us.  I know that we will not be able to use whispernet while there, but we can download them and transfer them.  We will still have an American address, etc.

What do you all think?  Thank you!

Buy it. If she wants it she'll take care of it. If she is really a bookworm, she'll take advantage of the free books that are out there (classics and so on) which don't require Whispernet. When I was her age, I was reading way ahead of my age/grade.

Lots of people who are overseas say how expensive it is to get books. If you husband is an officer, I assume there is a base and library so books might be more accessible, but the Kindle will give her another option.

When I was young, and my parents gave me the presents I really really wanted...those are the ones I remember with great fondness. I say go for it.

L

[kim]

Only you can know if she is old enough for a Kindle.  If she respects and takes care of her books, she should be able to use a Kindle.  Maybe you could share one?

I don't know much about what a 10 year old reads.  Maybe you could do a search on Amazon to see if you can find Kindle books that she would be interested in. 

DecalGirl has a really cute pink skin she might like 

[Vegas_Asian]

 There's a chance that the base library may have Ereaders for checkout. When I lived overseas (Misawa), the base library had ereaders available with about 25-50 book uploaded on it, but that was five years ago. If the base does offer ebooks, they usually are checked out and have a waiting list for them.

As for being old enough, that depends on what you think.

My parents took into consideration on how I took care of my phone (over the last five years I've had two phones, one lasting 4 years and still functional..just no service) and my first laptop (had since 2001 and still works) to determine whether or not I was responsible enough for a Kindle and a laptop for college...and at that point I was 19. I also had to list what I was going to use it for (books, store notes...), specify that no one was to borrow it, and specify where they wouldn't go (left out downstairs, left in my car, no where near where there is large bodies of water and so forth.)

[drenee]

*sits on to of his fingers*

You crack me up!!!

[kim]

I also had to list what I was going to use it for (books, store notes...), specify that no one was to borrow it, and specify where they wouldn't go (left out downstairs, left in my car, no where that has large bodies of water and so forth.)

Vegas makes a great point, guidelines and boundaries are always good.

[sjc]

It depends on the resposibilty of the child. 

If she takes good care and has respect for and appreciates the value of high priced electronics; then she is not "too" young.  HOWEVER, that being said; I would set ground rules and rest assured, she would be made well aware that it can be taken away at any time at your discretion.

[Adriane]

Thank you!  I have found that you can search amazon by children's chapters books, but the Twilight Series is even on there and I would not allow her to read it.  My daughter is very mature and responsible, she even has her own laptop.  I wish there was a way to put safety measures on it like you can on laptops.  I am going to talk to my husband more, but I think I am going to get her one, but not let her download any books herself.

Thank you again for your insights.

[sjc]

Adriana:  YOU control the account; the purchases go on your account so the child can't purchase anything you don't approve of.  I would do the ordering; make the child write down a list and allow a few choices at a time.

[love2read]

I think that's a wonderful idea. I think most kids that are voracious readers seem to be more mature. It seems like the biggest worry is are there enough acceptable books for her at her age.

But over all, even if there aren't a lot right now, I think over the next year more will come available and it seems a good bet that you will at least be able to get her more books to read because of the Kindle as opposed to trying to find enough for her on base.

She may have a harder time making the transition to living there if she can't find many DTB in English since she is so used to reading often. It seems like the Kindle is a really great option.

Get her started on classics early. She may really enjoy many of them.

Lynn M

[Bacardi Jim]

You crack me up!!!

It's my way.

[Jeff]

It's my way.

To funny.

[BambiB]

To funny.

Now that is to much you guys.  To comments is quite enough!

[Mom of 4]

Adriane,  my (just turned) 11 year old boy is my voracious reader.  Would love to get him a Kindle too, but the books he reads are not available.
In a perfect world I could get him to read some of the classics (NOT!)

IF your daughter would read the classics and IF you think she is responsible AND careful enough, then by all means get her one!
Is there anything better to instill in our kids than a love of reading?

[Bacardi Jim]

To funny.

Hah!  Made you laugh!  *does the Victory Dance*

[Jack C]

I want to be funny, to!

dang it. missed again  to late!

[kim]

Adriane,
 
By the way, I love your avatar

[Jeff]

Adriane,

My children at that age weren’t responsible enough for a delicate piece of equipment like a Kindle. My son broke everything he touched and my daughter wasn’t much better. That’s not to say that your child would not be able to take care of a Kindle, and I agree that the gift of books is incomparable.

Your husband is a hero to us all.


Jeff

[nickih75]

Yeah..  my 10 year old daughter wants one too.. I laughed at her.. We just got her a laptop and we'll see how well she takes care of that before we even consider a Kindle. 

I was surprised at the number of books that are available for tweens on the Kindle.  All of the Warriors books are just a few of the over 1500 kids (9-12 years old) books. 

Twilight for kids?  no, not really. I know it's YA but my 10 year old is NOT YA..

[Lotus]

I agree that it will depend on your daughter and how careful she is with electronics. Some kids, even if they seem responsible, seem to break them constantly. If you do get it for her, you may want to set limits on where she can take it. For example, you may not want her to take it to school or friends' houses. While she may be careful, other kids may not.

I also agree that you should set her up on your account. If she's confident enough to look through Amazon on her own, she could maybe set up a Wish List of the books she'd like, and you can then review them together before buying.

[sjc]

Guys...behave...lol.

Adriane: 
Mom of 4:
nickih75

I wouldn't rule out the classics:  Boys: Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Oliver Twist, Moby Dick.  Girls:  Little Women, Anne of Green Gables Series etc...   I suggest looking at feedbooks.com and manybooks.net; see what they have to offer and then make a decision.

[Vegas_Asian]

don't forget Nancy Drew or Harriet the Spy
Althought they may not be free...or maybe available on the K, I think its a good read for the youth.
When I was nine, I was big fan of the American Girls Series...Recently they have been coming out with the movies. They cover different girls from different eras.

[kim]

My children at that age weren’t responsible enough for a delicate piece of equipment like a Kindle.

Heck, my kid is 17 and she's not responsible enough.  But there are many 10 year olds that are.  I'm hoping she gets one!

[Bluejarzen]

I'm not a parent so take my opinion with a grain of salt but as far as I'm concerned your only question should be "can she handle the Kindle without breaking it?". Past that, anything goes. Just be glad she is a reader as too many children can't be bothered to read at all. If a Kindle can help nurture and grow her passion for reading then don't even hesitate. If you're worried about what she'll read than let her know she'll have to okay every download by you. Check the Kindle every once in awhile to make sure she doesn't find something that is too advanced/adult and she'll be just fine.
Like the other posters have said, take full advantage of the classics and free stuff out there. Plus, don't give her the login to Amazon and she can't get access to anything without whispernet, which she wont have. This way, YOU have to be there to approve all downloads.
Just my 2¢