A Game of Thrones
discussion
What age should read this book
message 101:
by
Nicole
(new)
-
rated it 4 stars
Feb 25, 2014 11:46PM
Oh okay Kerryn
reply
|
flag
BTW I think if you want to read the books at your age, that's cool. If you felt uncomfortable, or not ready yet, then nothing stops you from putting it down. I don't think adults should recommend adult books to kids though. Let the kids come to it. The tv series, though, I think you should wait. Seriously.
are you talking to the op or me Kerryn?
hey can someone tell me what BTW means please?
I don't know people make to much of a big deal about sex. I think the only reason why kid should not read these books is because they are very very hard. But if you are able to wrap your head around them then you should be guided to them cuz they are amazing and can really help you grow. About watching the TV Show Seriously? I personally have watch rated "R" stuff since I was 13 Years old and I personally don't think anything is wrong with me. To make it just made me aware more about sex. This is the main problem with america. We want to act like Sex does not exist and it should be diverted from the eyes of all the young people. I don't think this should be the case.
I don't think anyone who enjoys game of thrones can realistically be accused of believing that portrayals of sex in fiction should be avoided, I just think there's such thing as age appropriate content.Nicholas I'm not familiar with the other series you're referring to, therefore I can't comment on whether I think it's appropriate for a 13 yr old or not.
On the age rating, I thought I saw Game of Thrones as 18 but it looks like it's TV-MA which is not suitable for children under 17. Close enough. Fact of the matter remains, it's an adult series with adult content not appropriate for younger teens.
Ultimately it's up to the parents to decide, and they should be involved enough with their kids to know what they are reading.I was curious, so did a google search... here's what GRRM has to say:
"There is a perception in some quarters, usually people who don’t like or don’t read fantasy, that fantasy is kids’ stuff. It’s got dragons and wizards in it, it must be Harry Potter, but let me assure anyone watching this: My books are not Harry Potter and they’re not recommended for eight and nine-year-olds or even eleven and twelve-year-olds. There’s a lot of adult material in my books so, you know... not unless your kid is really precocious should he be reading my books, the dragons and wizards not withstanding."
source
Yea like GRRM said its more about each Individual kid and less about the content of the book. Like i said before at 15/16 I was having 2 hour long discussions with my dad about sex and religion. I also had a friend that I think read the books when he was around 11/12 but he is a special case. Ill ask him again just to make sure and he came out fine. I just think that American society puts to much of a stigma on sex where it does not need to be. The best thing to do as a parent IMO (only 23 years old and dont have any kids) Is assume that as soon as your kid turned 13 he has watched porn. Trust me no matter how vigilant you are you wont stop it specially if you have a boy.
Another vote for "age is a bad metric".Maturity on the other hand is fairly hard to gauge, so people suffer through using age as a substitute.
This book and the rest of the series features graphic violence, sex, crude language. But also epic fantasy, half-way decent writing and vocabulary, and very original, realistic, complex characters.
Based on that, you can judge for yourself.
I would say 15/16 plus, however it also depends on your own understanding and maturity. Maybe read something else before trying it.
I am currently reading this book. It'w good if you are mature for it. And i gotta say that if you are a person who throws a book because of a character's death, i don't think you should read it because you can always bet on who will die in the next part but you will surely loose if you say that this one will survive.
Whether to read a book/series or not should ultimately depend on the reader's maturity and comprehension level, not necessarily their age. I read many books at 14 that had sexual and violent content in them, as well as incest, homosexuality and slavery. Read anything written by Anne Rice and you've got them all. I also read Anno Dracula around that time, too, which had some fairly graphic details.Besides, I don't see any parents complaining when their teens read Shakespeare and that throws the use of narcotics and hallucinogenics into the mix of taboo themes.
It's pretty graphic and has lots of sex, but the show is a lot more inappropriate than the book. However the books are set in a world where things are...rough. There's rape, whores, head chopping, stabbing, etc. It's not a world full of flowers and ponies.That being said, I'd say the book is best for 14+. But it depends EVEN MORE if you're mature enough or not. I have friends who are 16 or 17 years old who would not be able to handle it, or would be super shocked at its content.
And I have friends who are 13 years old and love it.
So it depends what kinda person you are. Have fun :)
In terms of how appropriate the material is? I think there are many 12 year olds who could handle it fine, though there are just as many who could not.In terms of the vocab you need to appreciate the tale, the average 12 year old might be slightly ill-equipped. But just give it a try, anyone with an imagination and tolerance for the macabre will probably be hooked.
Thank you everybody for your comments ;)
have you tried it yet lachlan? i am halfway through it and it's going great. i think you should read it if your parents allow you to.the show just ruined the books. because of the show people consider that the books are also extreme.
Arbaaz wrote: "have you tried it yet lachlan? i am halfway through it and it's going great. i think you should read it if your parents allow you to.the show just ruined the books. because of the show people con..."
I don't the show ruined the books at all, it's made them even more popular which is great.
I guess the visual aspect of the nudity/violence is more...jarring on screen, but there's just as much sex, death, and cursing in the books.
Well, I'm 13 and I am currently reading A Clash of Kings. If you're a good reader then it's okay, as long as you're not easily impressed by some violent and sexual scenes. Two other guys in my class are reading it, and I'm a girl. I think it depends on your level of maturity and reading.
I've read the first books when i was about 16, and i absolutely loved them and the storyline. But i wouldn't recommend them to young teens unless they've already had quite a bit of reading experience, and one of the main reasons for that is the very young age (younger than HBO) that many of the characters have when they are either killed, kill someone themselves or have sex (forced or not)
Meghan wrote: "If you have a middle schooler that is an advanced reader it may work. There is a little sex in it so I would say maybe 16+."Middle school, really? Wow, there is no way I'd let them touch this book.
I would say advanced readers in High School. There is a lot of foul language, graphic violence and sex continuously.The amount of dialogue, politics, plot and sheer number of characters is difficult to follow for even seasoned adult readers.
Josh wrote: "I would say advanced readers in High School. There is a lot of foul language, graphic violence and sex continuously.The amount of dialogue, politics, plot and sheer number of characters is diffi..."
I definitely think people younger than 18-19 can read these books, particularly the first one. There are sex scenes and language in the majority of required English lit classes.
required reading in Kindergarten. Hopefully parents have prepared them by having them watch the show at this point.
I wouldn't allow my kids to read it till 16 or so. Its very graphic in both sex and violence.However, it is pretty much exactly like the TV series, which I also wouldn't let my kids watch.
Honestly, have people been in today's middle schools and high schools? ....if you are worried about you kids being exposed to sex and violence, you should consider homeschooling because the schools are not sheltering them from their peers exposing them to those things. Not at all. Your kids peers are gleefully filling them in on all those gaps that you've left by sheltering them and that info might not be accurate. Isn't it better just to talk to your kids than to put all that futile energy into "censoring" books and movies and video games and tv shows.
Yes, the show is explicit but perhaps this is just me, but I feel that a 14 yr old should already know enough about sex to handle a show like Game of Thrones. Sorry, but middle school and HS is no place for a kid who doesn't. They are going to get that education one way or the other. It's better if it comes from the parent.
Great! I totally agree with you
I would allow them to watch it but I would have them read the books first. if they really want to watch it they need to prove to me that they can handle reading the books (because the books are big and I want to see their reaction to the content)
I started the first book ( I'm 13) and it's graphic and all but if you are mature enough and you think you can handle it I would say pick it up and see if it's your thing.
100% agreed with Mochaspresso.
I started reading it when I was 13, and it was fine for me. It depends on the person, I guess. Any sexual content is rarely over a page long anyway.
If you're under 16, Game of Thrones is one of those books that you keep stashed at the back of your book pile to give the illusion you're not reading it.But to be honest, as a teen I'd read far worse and thankfully no one knew lol.
I Agree That It Depends On The Maturity Of The Reader, But For Those Of You Who think That Its For 16+ I Disagree, Because I Am 12 Years Of Age, And Not Only Have Read It But Love It, Not Because Of The Sex/Violence But Because It Is a Fantastic Book, Somewhat Accurate About The Mass Of Honey Related Items During The Middle ages- Look At Me...Rambling Sorry, But You Get The Point.
This is a book for adults. Are you an adult? There.Igor
The term adult is relative
Im 12 and thinking an age of 14-16 for me. Violence is not a problem for me at least. Is homosexuality a some kind of taboo? :o I totally agree with it.
But im not going to watch the seriea very soon!
Lachlan wrote: "Arienn wrote: "I've read hunger games too and that's not even near as crazy as game of thrones. Game of thrones is really graphic and it goes into detail. It's got incest-which scarred me for life..."Can 14 years old handle It I'm not even 14 yet and i have read them all already.
I read the entire series of ASOIAF from GoT to ADWD when I was 11 and I'm fine.
Game of Thrones: safe for all ages.
I am 12 and I read it just fine and could handle it, very easily. It is a bit graphical but it's not anything that we never seen before yeah there is sex and stuff but that's everywhere anyway! The beheading, war, and other graphic scenes have already happened in real life. I have already learnt about that in history so it's nothing that surprised me. I would recommend this book to anyone 13+ My reading average was only a "4.7" but I am able to get through all these novels with no trouble. It is a very tedious read to some people, though, even some adults can't handle it. But if you're a good reader, go for it!
Well this is really hard to say. But a little while back I was asking the same question so let me try to help. This is not a book for younger people. That said its also a wonderful book and is definitely something I recommend . However, I do think you should be at least fifteen before you read this. I started it shortly before my seventeenth birthday and honestly I am glad I didn't try sooner. It's so hard to say with these books whether you are mature enough to handle the themes of this book. There are intimate scenes in this book including violence towards women and violence in general including descriptions of severed limbs and decapitations. Incest is also present between two major characters. If you can handle this the feel free to try. If you feel uncomfortable just stop reading. I will say I have heard the show is worse than the books.
The show is worse indeed. If there was only one scene throughout four chapters, an episode would at least have 30 or maybe more scenes. Now you can guess for that. According to me, the only thing that troubled me was incest, but otherwise it is really good. I am currently nearing the end of this one and i heard that the other books in the series has more in store for violence and other stuff.
Niko wrote: "Read it when I was 11..."Wow! I am surprised so many of you read it so young! I would never have read this book this young or allowed my little sister to read it!
11 or even 12 is a lot younger i say. I think it should be over 14 and above.
Someone above said that you should be 15+ to read this because of incest and the graphic descriptions of severed heads/limbs/etc. but I completely disagree there are 6 year olds that are already playing Call of Duty and other graphic games of the sort, so saying someone should be a certain age to open up their minds and read what type of stuff went on in the world, and being entertained with it at the same is absolute BULLCRAP! Incest is no big deal, sex is no big deal, nor is the death that happens in this book series. I am sure a lot of these kids have most definetly found out about sex. The only trouble in this book that a person under the age of 11-12 would face is the political matters in it, I mean it is based off the war of the five kings... Even so it was not hard for me to deal with, so many people say that it is too tedious of a read and they won't read it, I am 12 and this was the best book series I have ever read, and I am still looking forward for GRRM to write the sixth book so I can enjoy that aswell. It was a tedious read for me at the start but I started really getting into it at around 40 pages. I can admit, there were a lot of words I did not understand but once I re read the books I can understand it all. So, sorry for my long response but yes, a 14 year old can read this book. -a 12 year old
I think it is fine for older teenagers. It is very violent, but the sex is not that explicit - in fact, I've read worse in some YA novels. Game of Thrones is fine for a 14-year old as long as they are mature. I am 15 and was fine with the content.I am not sure about the TV series, but I've heard it is much more explicit than the books.
all discussions on this book
|
post a new topic
A Game of Thrones (other topics)
Books mentioned in this topic
Ruby the Red Fairy (other topics)A Game of Thrones (other topics)
