To Young?

[Leslie]

I was the most persnickity, meticulous kid you could imagine (as a result, I have spent alot of my adult life as a recovering perfectionist!) so the Kindle would have been safe in my hands at 10. A bigger problem was the "unauthorized reading." You should read the children's book thread for funny stories about that! A couple of us were reading Portnoy's Complaint at very young ages and one girl had Peyton Place covered in brown paper and labeled Ivanhoe. So obviously the unauthorized reading problem is nothing new. LOL. The Kindle may be good for that since you can review what's on the device and what she is downloading. But keep in mind, kids will read what they want to read, authorized or not!

I was just trying to remember what I was reading at 10. I had book of Edgar Allen Poe stories that I loved. I also really enjoyed fairy tales and folk tales from other countries -- Norway, Japan, Russia, etc.-- and had whole books of those. These are the sort of things I know you can find at Feedbooks.com. I think I read Gone With the Wind when I was 12. That's at feedbooks, too (I downloaded it).

Like I said in my earlier post, if I were your daughter, I'd be thrilled with a Kindle and treat it with respect and care.

L

[Wisteria Clematis]

What Leslie said! The only real issue is whether she will be careful handling the kindle. Since you will be overseas and she won't be able to use whispernet you don't need to worry about her downloading books without your knowledge. As long as she doesn't have your Amazon password, she'll need you to help her download books to the computer.

And there are tons of classics she might enjoy!

[nickih75]

ohh.. just had a thought.. LOL When/If v2.0 of the Kindle comes out.. I'll buy that for ME giving this one to the kid.. 

But in all seriousness if you think she can handle it and it will certainly cost less to move that then all of your books then I'd go ahead and get it for her.  I don't know that my 10 could be trusted to take care of it based on past experiences with her. 

[Adriane]

I think that we have decided to get her one, but I am going to wait until closer to May to see if the 2.0 comes out and then I will get it for me and give her mine.  Thank you for all of your input, I appreciate it.

[jmeaders]

Adriane,

You'll love Korea.  I spent a few weeks there on two separate business trips to Seoul in 2005.  I loved it.  You are quite fortunate that you have an accompanied trip.  I'll surmise your husband is a field grade officer, as I don't believe company grade officers warrant accompanied tours.  I was in the Army from 1983-1997 (enlisted and officer, active and reserve) and got out as a Captain.

Tell your husband thanks from our family.  My youngest twin son has a heart for the entire military and you are always in his prayers (as well as ours).

John

[MeganW]

Hi Adriane, I was just browsing through the Kindle books at Amazon and it looks like they have a bunch of the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary, as well as The Mouse and The Motorcycle (I loved that one), and other great books (and they all seem to hover at around $4.79 or less).  So if you decide to buy your daughter a Kindle (I would've loved one when I was her age, and as much as I loved books, I would've taken great care of it, too), it looks like you'll be able to find plenty of books for her (as well as all of the free classics that people have mentioned above!). 

(just to name a few)

[Anju No. 469]

Adrianne - I would not wait for the V2, it may not come out even this year - and if you wait too long you might miss the chance to get a kindle in time to take it with you.  Just look at all the people on the KB waiting impatiently for theirs.

I think the kids who read a lot are responsible, I certainly was, for books anyway.  Don't listen to Jeff, his kids belong to him and they would not be responsible at any age  but I am glad you have decided to get one, just don't wait too long.

 

[Kathy]

I have 2 children, 2 stepchildren and 9 grandchildren ranging from age 3 months - 16 years old. My 10 year old grandson reads more than the 12 year old or 16 year old. He is in gifted classes and loves the computer. If he asked for one I would not hesitate to buy him one. He takes care of and treasures his things. I know that at that age I would have loved the Kindle, because I have always been a reader. I loved the classics and was at the library weekly. You can monitor what is put on the Kindle and check it regularly to make sure nothing that you don't approve of is on it. I know my daughter checks her boys cell phones and watches what they are doing on the internet.

Good luck in Korea and God Bless your husband for what he does.

[bkworm8it]

I was the most persnickity, meticulous kid you could imagine (as a result, I have spent alot of my adult life as a recovering perfectionist!) so the Kindle would have been safe in my hands at 10. A bigger problem was the "unauthorized reading."

L

LOL, that was me growing up. Wouldn't have to worry if I broke it but you'd better be sure I couldn't access amazon with it as the credit card would be maxed out within months at the rate I read as a kid! 

Theresam

[TM]

LOL, that was me growing up. Wouldn't have to worry if I broke it but you'd better be sure I couldn't access amazon with it as the credit card would be maxed out within months at the rate I read as a kid! 

Theresam

One thing I wish they would make available is the ability to disable the one-click from Kindles - like some setting in your amazon account that could turn on or off one-click for individual Kindles you have registered. it would definitely open up more markets.

[Adriane]

Thank you for all of your supportive comments regarding the military.

[katiekat1066]

The only thing I can think of to add to all of this is if you get her a Kindle, get the extra "handling" insurance from SquareTrade.com.  I'm not irresponsible, but I am a klutz, so when I got my Kindle extended warranty, I opted for the extra coverage.  It says on their site "include{s} damage from liquid spills, item drops, or any other accidental damage."  I think it cost me an extra $25.  I think it well worth the cost to me, I've killed a laptop by losing my coffee cup over it.  In fact, I wish I'd known about this when I got my new laptop, I'd have covered it, too.

Just my 2 cents 

Katiekat

[jmeaders]

Thanks for that info on SquareTrade.  I just purchased a warranty with ADH for my yet-to-arrive Kindle (so I would be within the 30-day purchase period).

[Jeff]

Don't listen to Jeff, his kids belong to him and they would not be responsible at any age 

I sent a copy of your post to my 44 year old daughter, who is an attorney, and my 36 year old son. who is a computer engineer. She wants to know your address for legal service and he has offered to fix your computer for you. <Just kidding>

[Anju No. 469]

I sent a copy of your post to my 44 year old daughter, who is an attorney, and my 36 year old son. who is a computer engineer. She wants to know your address for legal service and he has offered to fix your computer for you. <Just kidding>

Now if I just lived in the states! LOL   

[bkworm8it]

One thing I wish they would make available is the ability to disable the one-click from Kindles - like some setting in your amazon account that could turn on or off one-click for individual Kindles you have registered. it would definitely open up more markets.

That would be a selling point for getting my niece one on my account. I'd get my daughter one but by the time she arrives and is old enough who knows what amazon will have out by then and hopefully an option to disable 1 click for those who want to restirct purchases for others on their account!

theresam

[ProfCrash]

And an ability to control what documents can be moved to a specific Kindle. I am sure most adults have books that they do not want kids to be able to read.

[SusanCassidy]

The one big thing that my parents did right was not trying to control my reading.  I believe that people read what they are interested in, and ready for.  If they weren't ready, they wouldn't be interested.  My parents did try to keep me from finding out anything about sex (which failed, of course), and even cut out the biology diagrams in the encyclopedia.  Crazy!

My world has been enlarged because of reading.

[ProfCrash]

My parents controlled my reading. They only allowed me to read books that they thought were appropriate for my maturity level. They would not have allowed me to read erotica at 10 just like they would not allow me to play violent video games or watch R rated movies at the age of 10. I don't remember ever picking something that my parents said I could not read (not true for music, tv, and movies) so that was never an issue. Maybe it was because I knew better then to pick up a book that they would object to, but I doubt it. I did my darndest to not let my parents hear half of the songs on Purple Rain because I knew it would be confiscated. I was right, my Mom heard Darling Niki and that album was gone before the song ended.

By the time I was in my mid-teens I didn't have to run books past my parents any more and could read whatever I wanted.

It is a practice I have every intention of continuing with my kids. There are thousands of good books out there for kids to read without exposing them to language or behavior that the parents deem to be inappropriate. I might not agree with what someone else considers inappropriate but I know what I think is inappropriate. It will not prevent kids from being exposed to some of what I deem inappropriate, there are too many other places for kids to go, but I can limit their exposure.

[Kristena]

I have a 10 year old DD and will probably get her a Kindle for her birthday in May.  Because you'll be overseas I would definitely get your DD one, with conditions.  The conditions, of course, depend on your daughter and her habits and would include things like only use it at home, a heads-up when she orders etc.  I don't control her reading at all (my DD) and would be mostly concerned about the costs.

Good luck in Korea!

[sjc]

jmeaders:   Just out of curiosity; how much in total with the ADH did your Square Trade plan cost you? 

The reason why I ask:  is that I was the first person to warranty my Kindle with Square Trade back in the day.  After getting my plan, I then made a grand announcement on the forum about Square Trade with ADH for Kindle; getting newbies on board.  From there, gladly, it snowballed and there are a bunch of us with the plan.

At the time I purchased my plan, Square Trade didn't even have a category for the Kindle and they put it through under (I think) PDA and it cost me $98.  Some time later, once they figured things out, they gave the Kindle a category, so to speak; and it cost way less. I sent SquareTrade an email saying that I felt cheated and they said sorry, but there was nothing they could do. 

So just out of curiosity, I was wondering how much lower (than my cost of $98) the plan is currently.  I still have no regrets and would purchase it again; because it does provide peace of mind; though, I am extremely cautious with my Kindle anyway.

[jmeaders]

$74.99 (includes the $25 ADH charge).  I chose other electronics and then renamed the device to Kindle.  I've faxed them my invoice so they have that.  I figure I'll update the factory warranty section once I have my Kindle as they may want the serial number.

[Cillasi]

The Kindle isn't sturdy enough for most adults.  I'd be very careful buying one for a pre-teen or even for most teenagers!  Heck, there are some adults I wouldn't let touch my Kindle! 

While you should definitely set rules for its use, etc., you also have to know that it may get broken anyway.  Kids don't think the same way adults do, and putting the kindle into a backpack between two 12-pound books may seem like a good idea for safeguarding it, not realizing that the weight may crush the screen.  But of course, all of our kids are too smart to do a boneheaded thing like that, right?...

[sjc]

jmeaders:  Thanks for your reply.  I can live with the $98.  Well worth it!!!

[ak rain]

I have been living on federal lands (National Parks for me)since 1988. my kids were born in this time period. When we arrived here my 3rd grader was entering his 3rd school. we decided to slow our moves. I have never been in the same place this long. anyway when we get an offer for a move or befor in the consideration we can names of people in area to interview. I am sure you have done that . See what technology is available. See what "Library" can offer. I am late in entering into this thread. My kids 10 and 15 would be fine with the kindle but we have an awsome small community for readers there is no shortage of books for kids. That is an individual call. As for screening I dont. Have a wonderful time and keep safe in Korea.

Sylvia
Sylvia