Kindle for a 10 year old?

BenEadir

Hi all,

My daughter loves reading books and usually spends 40 minutes or so reading in bed before going to sleep and Saturday/Sunday mornings when she wakes up she turns to her book for a while. I'm delighted she enjoys reading so much.

During our summer holiday we forgot to bring an extra book for her so I downloaded one to my phone and she used the Moon Reader app to read it. She loved it. Her Mum uses a Kindle Paperwhite all the time so I guess it makes her feel "big".

Anyway, I'm thinking of getting her an eReader for Xmas with a nice "girly" cover etc. Good idea/Bad idea?

I'd prefer to get her a "mini" eRader i.e. something smaller than a full size Kindle but the Paperwhite is so good with it's backlight (which I think will be better for her eyes) that I really can't see any reason to get anything other than the kindle for her as it will do her for 10 years if she looks after it and doesn't lose it.

Thoughts?

Ben

canadianwoman

If what you are looking at is not too expensive I would get her one with the understanding that if she loses it then she does not get a replacement.

That is what I would do if I had a 10 year old daughter who loved reading.

Thoie

Check in advance how to limit the account so that she can't just buy anything she wants at any time through it. That will both stop her from running up bills on your credit card without your knowledge, and help you and your wife keep an eye on her reading material to make sure it's age appropriate.

If she's that into reading I wouldn't worry too much about the cover being girly, and concentrate more on buying one that will properly protect the device. If it does both, then great.

In general, reading is good, hooray for kids reading.

BenEadir

Thanks guy's, great advice.

Ben

Gamayun

Hi Ben,

Argos have this Kobo Mini down to €49.99 at the moment.

I can't vouch for it as I don't actually own any e-reader but it looks good, 5" display, supports tonnes of formats. If you do not set up the Wifi then you can control all ebook additions via USB so no panic about running up a bill/inappropriate material. No light though.

BenEadir

Gamayun wrote: »

Argos have this Kobo Mini down to €49.99 at the moment.

Thanks Gamayun,

It looks ideal in terms of size and functionality with the exception of the back light. My daughter reads a lot in bed and is a divil for reading in very low light conditions for some reason. My sister was the same years ago and ended up with lots of eye strain and problems as a result.

For €50 it's a serious bargain but I'd hate to save €60 and end up paying a multiple of that on eye tests, glasses and God knows what else.

I think a backlight is a must have for her so I think I'll have to take the plunge and invest in a new Paperwhite for her.

Ben

tony1980

If she reads in bed and loves reading that much, Kindle Paperwhite it has to be, if she looks after it, it should keep her going for a long time and will have been well worth the investment!

Stone Deaf 4evr

you'd get a handy 7" tablet relatively cheaply as well, but that does run the risk of exposure to the world wide web and all its quirks. If you're encouraging reading, maybe it'd be best to get one of the older model kindles that dont do anything except books.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007HCCOD0/ref=amb_link_178239107_3/277-6622658-2764462?ie=UTF8&nav_sdd=aps&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0BYXWKK6KP6JNVE3MGZY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=442162927&pf_rd_i=468294

BenEadir

tony1980 wrote: »

If she reads in bed and loves reading that much, Kindle Paperwhite it has to be, if she looks after it, it should keep her going for a long time and will have been well worth the investment!

Thanks Tony, that's exactly the conclusion I arrived at also.

Bought a tablet for my 12 year old for Xmas in PC World and got a €20 voucher to use against purchases from Nov 21st to Dec 23rd so I'll use it to buy the Kindle Paperwhite. I already ordered here a smart cover for it here http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CGXWFXO/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which is a bit of a bargain.

Cheers,

Ben

BenEadir

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

you'd get a handy 7" tablet relatively cheaply as well, but that does run the risk of exposure to the world wide web and all its quirks. If you're encouraging reading, maybe it'd be best to get one of the older model kindles that dont do anything except books.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007HCCOD0/ref=amb_link_178239107_3/277-6622658-2764462?ie=UTF8&nav_sdd=aps&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0BYXWKK6KP6JNVE3MGZY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=442162927&pf_rd_i=468294

Don't want her to use a tablet for reading, not good for the eyes. The e-ink of the Kindle is much better for her + I agree with you ref the other uses a tablet can be used for which she's too young for.

Cheers,

Ben

Eoin

Out of interest, why would a Paperwhite model be better for the eyes than a normal eReader? I've not seen one in action yet.

I totally agree with a tablet being a poor choice as an eReader.

BenEadir

Eoin wrote: »

Out of interest, why would a Paperwhite model be better for the eyes than a normal eReader?

Because the screen is correctly lit all the time, in bright sunshine or in darkness. This reduces stress on the eyes.

My daughter loves reading but for some bizarre reason will read in very poor light when in bed rather than turn on her bedside light. With the Kindle Paperwhite her bedroom can be dark but she can still read without straining her eyes.

Ben

BenEadir

Time to set up my daughters Kindle. As she's 9 I want to make sure I only load suitable books. Can anyone recommend a collection of books I can download (paid or free) which would get her up and running? I checked on Amazon.co.uk and it seems all kids book collections e.g. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slipcase-Includes-Fantastic-Chocolate-Marvellous/dp/0140926526/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1386578526&sr=8-11&keywords=collection+of+childrens+books are in paperback only.

I also like the look of this list by The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/books/2000/mar/24/childrens.library but I can't find Kindle/ePub/Mobi versions of them.

I'd appreciate any pointers / links to suitable content.

Cheers,

Ben

Ponster

Ben, are you an Amazon Prime member ?

Thoie

BenThere wrote: »

Time to set up my daughters Kindle. As she's 9 I want to make sure I only load suitable books. Can anyone recommend a collection of books I can download (paid or free) which would get her up and running?

Without knowing what she's into, it's hard to recommend, but start with this:
http://onehundredfreebooks.com/free-kindle-books-by-category.html?cid=155009011&genre=Children%27s+Books

Those are all categorised as children's, and will mainly be free (check before completing the purchase).


Many of the Guardian books are available on Amazon.com - just type in the name and search for Kindle books. E.g.

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Garden-Frances-Hodgson-Burnett-ebook/dp/B0083Z614S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1387038799&sr=1-1&keywords=secret+garden


http://www.amazon.com/Little-Princess-being-whole-story-ebook/dp/B0083Z3WKY/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1387038888&sr=1-6

BenEadir

Ponster wrote: »

Ben, are you an Amazon Prime member ?

I'm afraid not no

Ben

BenEadir

Thanks Thoie, I'll have a look through those.

Ben