What age would you suggest the YW books for??

[Daisy]

I have a friend who has not read the YW books yet, but is thinking of doing so. She wanted to know what the age most of the people who read YW is before she reads it.

I also am doing a book report for school, an I am thinking of doing SYWTBAW, but I need a suggested age.

Thanks!!!

[Tuttle]

The ages of people on this forum range from ~11-12 through adult with family.

I personally started reading the books in 4th grade (9 years old). I know if I read all of them at that age I wouldn't have gotten everything from that. At the same time they're such that reading them through your teenage years you'll be getting more from them as you get older. I'm still reading them at 19, and know I'll continue reading them as I get older.

I'd recommend not reading the much before 10, and for something like a book report would probably recommend 12+. Generally people are teenagers it seems. There are a lot of both middle schoolers and high schoolers on these forums.

[Emi]

I agree with Tuttle. I'd say 12 and up. I was in I think 6th grade when I first picked the books up. To be honest I found SYWTBAW in the children's section, and then the rest of them in the YA section. So I really don't know. But I read them the same time (age) they were growing up so it was really neat.

[kk]

Yeah, I agree with 12+. I read them when I was in 6th grade also...it only took me a week to read all of them...my friends thought (and still think) I was insane, because of it.

Anyway, my little sister's 10, and she really wants to start reading the YW books, but I don't think she should. She read part of DW (after stealing it from me ) and thought that it was funny...but seriously, she's such an innocent little kid (no really, she is!), I don't think she'd be able to hande the near-death situations in all of the books.

Wow, that was a long answer.

[Mona0622]

I agree that the 12 - 13 is a good range to start. I started reading them in 7th or 8th grade (I can't remember).

I borrowed all the books from a friend that I don't see very often. It took me a while to read the series, because there would be long times between when I saw her and trade the books. Let me tell you, the time inbetween books was a killer. (I'm very impatient when it comes to waiting to read books.)

[Daisy]

Thanks for the suggestions! Just so you know, my friend is 10. When I stared reading YW I was 10 and in fourth grade, as I am now. That was one of the reasons she thought of reading it. I loved it, but am not sure she would like it as much.


Thanks so much!

[Skye_army]

I started reading them when I was about 14 and I found the rest of the series by the time I was 16. I totally recomend these books to people of any age but you get more out of them when you're olde.r

[Lady Rhiannon]

Man, bringin' back the memories here...Let's see. I think I started reading these around age...thirteen? Maybe twelve. I remember being really inrigued because Nita was my age so it must be around there.

I'm sure you could go younger, 9, 10 or so, but that might not get as much out of it, unless they're precocious. 12-14 is a good general starting age range, IMHO.

[Bassoony]

I think that you can start once you are about 10~11 or 12, but it would require re-reading to get all the facts. But once you get it, YW is awesome!

[Daylily]

I personally read the first 3 when I was around 9. I found them again when I was 11, and have finished them (but I am still re-reading them, all the time).

[Onix]

on my planet 12-1200

[Zirsta]

I would say about 11-12 and up, although I read the first when I was 10 which was earlier stated as "precotious".

[Lazy Leopard]

Curiously, there seems to be a push (in the UK, at least) by publishers (and booksellers?) to have age-bands printed on the covers of all "childrens books". This has upset quite a few UK-published authors (Philip Pulman, Anne Fine, Diana Wynne Jones, J K Rowling, Susan Hill, Neil Gaiman, Alan Garner, Terry Pratchett, Shirley Hughes, ... ). I think the publishers will drop the idea if they've got any sense...

[Silverclaw]

It depends on maturity. I think your friends old enough, I would sat 10+. Teens might get more from it, but it's still a good book for younger kids. I started at 7, but I was definitely precocious. Then again, my sister's 9 and she's going to read them. In general, the books are pretty pg. Remember, in SYWTBW, Nita's 13, Kit's 12, and Dairine's 11, so it's kind of silly to say kids that age can't read them.

[wizardsrreal]

I would say somewhere around 11-14 to start reading them. It's close enough to the age range of Nita and Kit to make it easily relatable. I've always pictured the characters aging with me and not with the timeline of the books. So like in the last book I pictured Nita as being 15/16ish rather than 13/14 like the book said. So I would recomend starting the books as close to the age of Nita/Kit as possible to make it more fun to read.