I saw this article in the sidebar news ticker this morning about whether young children should see the Goblet of Fire, and it reminded me of e-mails from folks asking if I think young children should read Harry Potter. This is a sensitive area because I think reasonable parents know what's best for their own children.

Author J.K. Rowling said:

I didn't write with a target audience in mind. What excited me was how much I would enjoy writing about Harry. I never thought about writing for children– children's books chose me. I think if it is a good book anyone will read it. (Source)

I'm not a parent, so I can only tell you what I think I'd do if I were parent. My opinion on this issue presupposes that the children in question are growing up in a Christian home and are part of a Christian community with regular church attendance and Bible study. My under-12 child would not read the Harry Potter books. Children can sometimes confuse fantasy and reality, and I'd want them to understand the difference before I'd let them read fantasy literature like Harry Potter, which does contain supernatural and often "scary" graphic depictions. At age 12 they may be far beyond such confusion, but I'd use that age as a cut-off point. It really depends on your child and how you're teaching him.

Continue reading Young Children and Harry Potter

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