# Reading the LOTR to children



## baragund (Oct 20, 2004)

Over in "The Hobbit" section, we are having a really pleasant and enlightening conversation about reading that book to children, especially children younger than 10. But several times other members mentioned reading the _entire_ LOTR to their kids.

I'd like to get some of the larger groups thoughts on this. Other than getting a _wicked_ case of laryngitis (spelling?), what do you think about reading such a long and adult-oriented story to young children?

As for me, I'm already in a mode of "editing" the more graphic portions of The Hobbit as I read it to my 6 year old and it is a challenge holding her interest in such a long book (long to her, anyway). Frankly, I think it would be mighty hard reading the whooooollllle LOTR.


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## Astaldo (Oct 21, 2004)

I think it's very difficult to read to a children the whole Lotr not only because of the size but also because it's much more difficult for a kid to understand it. It has a lot of names, sites and references to the past of Middle-eart and Arda. Plus there are some scary scenes for a 10-year-old kid.


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## Thorin (Oct 21, 2004)

As a teacher, I have always seen my students grades 10 and up with LoTR in their hands but not the younger (maybe a few in grade 8 and 9). I've heard some of the younger kids talk about it, but it is more about the movies. I don't think anybody younger than grade 7 would truly benefit from reading the LoTR as it is (at least in a taught fashion like a novel study). As a matter of fact, my wife who is an English teacher said that it probably isn't even appropriate for The Hobbit to be read until after that grade as far as doing a novel study in school.

As for personal use,I think it depends on the child. A child who's been reading for 6+ years on his own might not have a problem doing The Hobbit. I would still question LoTR, however.


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## King Aragorn (Oct 21, 2004)

I didn't read The Hobbit until I was 14, in my Honors English class in high school. I didn't read LOTR until after I saw the first movie. I probably wouldn't recommend reading LOTR to young children. My nephew is 8, and he's seen the movies, but I wouldn't read the books to him because they're too long, and he might not be able to follow the story that easily.


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## 33Peregrin (Oct 21, 2004)

I don't know about this. I don't think that any really young children really would be able to grasp LOTR, ge the whole story, but I would almost say read it anyway. I know sometimes even now I , at 16, remember wonderful amazing things from the many stories I was read as a small child. It would be amazing to have LOTR for myself that way. And The Hobbit as well. Still, it would be difficult. Perhaps a long read for seemingly nothing. I read LOTR for the first time when I was 13 already, and it was an extremely difficult challenge. I had to read it over and over again to finally get the whole picture. But in the end, I almost feel I have done nothing as challenging worthwhile as that in my life. There are things to gain.


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## cardanas (Oct 24, 2004)

Give the kids some credit, I enjoyed it age ten!
Read it TOGETHER!


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## Aglarband (Oct 25, 2004)

Hide nothing from your kids, you run the risk of them learning about it from the wrong person.


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## Eledhwen (Oct 31, 2004)

I am reading LotR to my eight year old daughter. She has seen all the films, so it seems only fair that she should get the story straight. But she struggles with her reading - the only one of my five children to suffer in this way. The weakness is compensated for, however, by an unbelievably detailed recollection of stories she has been told. LotR is her bedtime story, and we have are already at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. 

I have gained much from reading the book out loud. It seems to go in in stereo, if you get my drift. My daughter keeps interrupting my reading with "That's not how it goes in the film!", and shows a keen understanding of the story. As we progress, the number of times she asks the meaning of a word becomes less frequent, and she is taking in a vocabulary that would normally be way beyond her years, even if she couldn't spell it all later.

The existence of the film has spoiled the 'first bloom' of reading the book for the first time, which is a shame because the cliffhanger at the end of the two towers is amazing. If the film didn't exist, I doubt that I would be reading the book to her just yet. However, I hope that when my daughter grows older she will take the book up for herself and read it again, and enjoy all the subtleties that I'm sure she doesn't fully appreciate yet.


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## baragund (Nov 1, 2004)

Great feedback all around!!  From what all of you have been saying, it boils down to the following:

*Is your child mature enough to handle the scarier parts of the book and to more or less "get" what's going on in the story?

*Is he/she sufficiently interested in LOTR to sit through the MANY sessions it would take to get through all three volumes?

*Is there sufficient supply of Andy Serkis' sore throat balm on hand? You're going to need it after reading over 1000 pages aloud!!

I think I'll give it a try with my kids after we finish The Hobbit. They both enjoyed the heck out of the movies so I think the experience will be similar to Eledhwen's.


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## Eledhwen (Nov 2, 2004)

*Re: Andy Serkis' Sore Throat balm*

Tell me about it!!

I had 'flu over half term, and lost my voice for the second time ever. But because my daughter loves the story so, I tried to read in a hoarse whisper. It worked for a couple of nights, but it's got so bad that we're having to take a few nights off.

Oh, I didn't say: ... I am quite good at making up tunes on the spot. My daughter thinks this is a perfectly normal parental attribute, of course, and expects every song in LotR to be sung out loud with its own tune. :¬| I have to invent dwarf tunes, elf tunes, hobbit tunes, you name it. But without a voice, it's a wee bit difficult.


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## IronMorgoth (Nov 7, 2004)

In my opinion, TLOTR is far to deep for children. The Hobbit is an excellent book for them (though I read it when I was 13).

I teach music to kids, and one of my tools is telling them stories. Some of them know TLOTR saga because of the movies; but when it comes to listen to the book, they usually find it a bit hard to digest.

In the other hand I have a 9 old year student who already read THE HOBBIT and the three TLOTR books, so you never know.


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