Book or Movie First

The only problem I have with reading the books first, is that then the movies suck in comparison. Lol.

I would just go ahead and let him watch the movies. The HP series is pretty long, so I would get the other books out of the way before starting it. By the time he gets to the books, the movie won't be so fresh in his mind any more, so it will be like starting over.

Personally, when I read a book and watch the movie I have to think of them as unrelated, or I will drive myself (and those sitting around me, except my SIL who loves to critique book-based-movies with me) crazy over the missing/wrong details.

Given that Harry Potter is not age appropriate for a 7yo. Put the books at the bottom of the reading list and wait on the movies.

The first one is pretty close to the book so it should be ok.
(Why don't the older kids read it chapter by chapter out loud with your 7 yr old?
It's worth reading again!)
Normally I like reading the book before the movie - usually the book is better for most book-to-movie stories.
I love it when they stay true to a good story on the big screen.
They did a pretty good job with the whole Lord of the Rings series.
I absolutely HATE what they are doing to The Hobbit.

At 7, book first. Bump Harry to the top of the list and let him read it now.

i don't think it's an either/or. reading the books first is fun because then you're sort of in an 'insider' position, but i don't think it will detract from the pleasure of those movies. especially the first one- it's still my favorite, even it's woefully outdated now, and was never a big budget film. it has a whimsical charm that still entrances me.
i say go ahead and watch it, especially since you have a backlog (and how wonderful it is to hear THAT!)
:) khairete
S.

I think your kids are right: read the book first. There are some scary and intense (for the age) scenes in it...knowing that Harry and company will turn out all right will make the more thrilling parts of the movie a bit less scary.

If you have a 'backlog' of books, then just bump the book to the front and read that to him. You do want to read it aloud, with him, to answer questions which should inevitably come up, and to assure him the scarier parts will be okay.

I have always had sort of a 'rule' with my kiddos to read the book first.

I cannot think of ANY movie that was as good as the book.

Oldest kiddo is 25...and youngest are almost 18. They ALL agree!

Best!

BOOK first! Every time!

Thats a hard one. I vow never to see the movies of books I read, as I am just so so so disappointed after. They are never like the books...books are always better. I will read or see the movie, not both.

Always. Book First. Always!

I was really trying to keep my (almost) 8 year old from watching the movies before he read the books, but he's still not quite ready to actually read the first book. I think he's interested, but he's ability is just not quite there, yet. He was trying to read it the other day and just got so discouraged. I hated seeing him that way.

I wanted him to wait on the movies, but kids at school kept telling him things. I did let him see the first two movies, as they are so similar to the books. The third movie is the first one that showed some creativity. But then he came home from school and said, "I know Dobby dies!" and he was really upset. I was shocked that some kids in his class had seen all of the movies. He just kept coming home with more and more spoilers. At some point I just caved and let him watch them. He loves discussing it with me.

I usually say book first, then movie. But I do think your son will still love the books, even if you let him see the first movie.

Absolutely 100% read the book first. I would probably not read beyond the second book until he is a bit older. They get progressively more suspenseful and darker as the kids get older.

At his age he's going to take way too long to get through the books. I read them with my granddaughter and it was so hard, and she reads in the 97 percentile in the standardized testing. I think that's across the USA right? The results of those test scores???

Anyway, back to my point. She reads and comprehends very well and she would get characters confused, forget story lines, etc....reading those books for a 7 year old is going to be too tedious. I normally would say read read read first but he's going to enjoy the movies and can read the books when he's older.

Do the movies and be done with the books for now.

The books and the movies are quite different. The film-makers eliminated a lot of the content of the books, and then added other things that are more do-able on film than on printed pages (as film-makers usually do).

I greatly prefer the books myself - they're much richer. So I recommend that you start with the book (reading it aloud to him) - and *maybe* then get out the movie, explaining that it's different from the original. He can even look for the differences. Think how different the Disney "Frozen" is from Hans Christian Andersen's story, "The Snow Queen." If it means your son waits for H. Potter for a while, it isn't going to hurt him a bit.

On the other hand, watching the movies first often leads to less or no interest in the original books.

As the books continue, they are less and less for seven-year-olds, though. So please space them out a lot.

P.S. The "Charlotte's Web" book and movie are pretty close to one another - maybe not like sisters, but at least like cousins. Another thought: When my kids were in their teens and were assigned classic literature in school (Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, etc.), I found it *sometimes* a good idea to find them the film version closest to the book. The reason seeing a film first helped was that it helped them comprehend the basic story without having to learn the style first. Once they knew what it was about, they found it easier to read and love the real book. I don't know if that applies for a seven-year-old, though!

I hope this helps just from my experience (4 boys later) we have always chose to read the book first and together taking turns with pages or as they were older chapters etc each evening. It was a grea preparation for what was coming up next so there wasn't the fear that could possibly happen. They are great books and movies make it a family experience.....

If he's reading the Magic Tree House now, I don't think he's ready for Harry Potter. I'd wait a bit.

Read the book. There is so so much more in the books than the movie. And once you let him watch the movie he will want the others without reading the books.

Read the book. Read the book.

ALWAYS read the book first It will explain exactly what the characters are feeling and thinking. It will explain who each character is, where they came from and how they go to where the book is.

Our daughter is now 24 and says she still loves the memories of when she first discovered Harry Potter the summer after third grade. How we read those books as a family to each other and how exciting it was to learn all about Harry and his world.

And Mom as a family read Harry Potter. You will want to share the joy of discussing Harry .

I would say definitely NO. My kids are 7 and almost 10 and not only have not seen the movies (which get progressively more intense as the kids get older) but have not read the books - at the advice of my older son's teacher. As he said, the kids in the book are TWELVE at the beginning, and the events mirror what is interesting/challenging for a TWELVE YEAR OLD. There is such a rush & push these days for the little kids to see/do things that are meant for older kids, who can process things intellectually & emotionally much differently.

I told my boys they can (despite the current trend to the contrary!) start that series when they are 12 - so they have something to anticipate and look forward to as kind of a right-of-passage (something else we have so little of these days!). There are so many wonderful chapter books for younger kids that are still exciting/fun while maintaining that sweetness & innocence of early childhood that will disappear forever only too fast! (Don't forget that when we read, the child's mind creates the images to go with the story, but when we show them a movie, those intense images are burned into their brain forever, whether they are ready to handle them or not!) As a general rule of thumb I go back to what I read growing up at those ages (and I was a voracious reader), and last-century classics. My Father's Dragon trilogy, The Wizard of Oz series (there are many, remember!), Enid Blighton's The Magic Far-Away Tree (check amazon as it's hard to find now) or The Wishing Chair, Emily Bearn's Tumtum & Nutmeg series, anything by Astrid Lundgren (Emil is about a little boy constantly getting into mishaps), etc.

Hang in there - the days pass slowly but the years fly by!

~ a Believer in Stretching out the Innocence of Childhood a Bit Longer

Our 8 year old is reading them now, he's on book 6. A lot on his own, some with us reading. HIGHLY RECOMMEND BOOKS FIRST. You can go back, refresh memories and moments, and answer questions before getting to the movies which are awesome, but leave out a lot of details. Let him use his imagination first. Enjoy! I watched the movies afterward and was so happy that I waited. :)