Stephen King for DD10

[descovy]

Hi Can anyone recommend a Stephen king book appropriate for a 10 year old girl? We are roadtripping this summer and my DD is BEGGING to try Stephen King. She's finished Harry Potter.

We're not "book prudes" but what Stephen King I have read used to freak me out in my teens (Shining, Carrie). The genre is "not my thing." Like Harry Potter... I let my dd read it, but hogwarts & all just don't interest me enough to read it myself.

I am willing to pre-read a Stephen king novel, can anyone recommend an appropriate one for a 10 year old???

 

[golfgal]

Ok, I can't read Stephen King -way to scary for me-but going on the movies the least "scary" one might be the Green Mile?

 

[Planogirl]

The Green Mile is pretty heavy.

descovy, has your daughter read books like Goosebumps and the like? How easily scared is she by spooky movies and such things?

 

[RebeccaB]

crazy Steven King nut here.
The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon is relatively tame, about a 9yo who gets lost while hiking...she's lost for 9 days and is a big Bosox fan, basically begins to deliriously "see" Tom Gordon (fictional Bosox player) and finds her way out of the woods.
Let's see....Eye of the Dragon is somewhat tame, based on the medival times, younger set of characters...two young princes, one is falsley accused of the murder of his father the king and imprisoned while the younger brother becomes king, evil wizard controls young king, while imprisoned prince plans an escape and plans to do away with evil wizard.
I will try to think of more...

 

[Disney1fan2002]

crazy Steven King nut here.
The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon is relatively tame, about a 9yo who gets lost while hiking...she's lost for 9 days and is a big Bosox fan, basically begins to deliriously "see" Tom Gordon (fictional Bosox player) and finds her way out of the woods.

Umm, Tom Gordon was a real pitcher for the Boston Red Sox from '96-'99.

 

[golfgal]

The Green Mile is pretty heavy.

descovy, has your daughter read books like Goosebumps and the like? How easily scared is she by spooky movies and such things?

What Stephen King book/movie isn't?

 

[Cinerbelle]

Misery?? If I remember correctly, its not that bad.

 

[RebeccaB]

oh crap,my bad!!!
**hangs head in shame**

 

[curious3069]

Try The Four Seasons. It's four short novellas including The Body (on which the movie Stand By Me is based) and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. Good stories, but I can't remember if there was any sex in them which would be inappropriate for a 10 year old. I honestly don't remember much about the other two though!

You might also try The Stand. I know that sounds strange, but if she can handle the concept it's a great story of good vs evil.

 

[Aisling]

Misery?? If I remember correctly, its not that bad.

Misery is an excellent suggestion, in my opinion.

 

[JoiseyMom]

I am a huge King fan, and DD almost 14 is begging to read, and I won't let her yet. I think you should have her read other books of the same genre by teen authors.

What about the Goosebumps books?

 

[ElizK]

I don't know about Misery... that was pretty scary.

How about Firestarter? Carrie scared the bejeebers out of me... and I was 16 when I read it!

Oh! The Talisman! LOVED that book. It's co-written with Peter Stroub. A bit different from King's usual stuff. The Dead Zone might be ok, too.

And, as an aside.... not that you asked, but there is no way that I would let my 10 year old read Stephen King.

 

[Judy from Boise]

the only two I would recommend is Firestarter (about a young girl who can accidently start fires with her emotions) and a big recommendation for Tailsman. A story about a young boy on a quest to save his mother from dying. Wait a year or two then read the Stand.
I would skip others till the teens.

 

[Judy from Boise]

too funny we typed those out simultaneously!

 

[ElizK]

too funny we typed those out simultaneously!

Great minds think alike!!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Try The Four Seasons. It's four short novellas including The Body (on which the movie Stand By Me is based) and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. Good stories, but I can't remember if there was any sex in them which would be inappropriate for a 10 year old. I honestly don't remember much about the other two though!

You might also try The Stand. I know that sounds strange, but if she can handle the concept it's a great story of good vs evil.

Just a comment about Different Seasons (the book you're referring to), but if a ten-year-old reads this, tell her to NOT read Apt Pupil. That's the most disturbing story in that book. It's about this kid who discovers that an elderly man in his neighborhood is a Nazi war criminal, and then blackmails him into telling him all about what he did, which eventually has a very profound influence on the kid and not in a good way. It's very dark and twisted, even for Stephen King.

One thing I wouldn't recommend for a ten year old would be It. I would recommend the short story collections, though, like Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, or Nightmares and Dreamscapes.

I started reading Stephen King when I was about 12 because I found my mom's copy of The Stand while we were in BFE, Wisconsin, and it's still my favorite book ever. I have the "extended edition" that was released in the 90s, and I think it's just an absolutely fantastic story. Stephen King has actually been a pretty big influence on me as a writer, and I have a good chunk of his books (including the Bachman books).

One other book that might be good for your daughter if she can handle dystopias would be The Running Man, which he wrote as Richard Bachman. It's pretty different from the movie version with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 

[kamik86]

Op your daugher doesn't get scared easily I don't see not letting her read these types of books if she wants to. For those that are suggesting goosebump books, if she is able to read well enough to have a chance of getting through Steven King for fun then goosebumps wont' do it. The reading level is much lower.

If King is too scary at least go with Fear Street (same auther as Goosebumps but for older kids) or Christopher Pike which closer to King but is more normal scary then physcoloical muders and the stuff that would really freak me out.

 

[kimblebee]

I wouldn't recommend Misery for a 10 year old. I'm 34 and still don't like what she does to his ankle.

I would suggest the Dark Tower series. It is LONG (7 books) but it is so good. It is kind of fantasy kind of western kind of time travel. I'm not a fantasy fan but this is hands down the best series of books I have ever read. Some people get shot but there is no gore in it and nothing too heavy for a 10 year old. Be prepared for her to read under the sheets when she should be sleeping. It is that good!

 

[Ephany]

Try The Four Seasons. It's four short novellas including The Body (on which the movie Stand By Me is based) and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption. Good stories, but I can't remember if there was any sex in them which would be inappropriate for a 10 year old. I honestly don't remember much about the other two though!

You might also try The Stand. I know that sounds strange, but if she can handle the concept it's a great story of good vs evil.

Different Seasons? No, I wouldn't. The last story 'The Breathing Method' is a horror tale about a woman giving birth and I *think* she's decapitated during labor if I remember correctly. The first book I remember reading was 'IT', I think I was around 10ish, but there is sex in the book. 'The Stand' is my favorite along with the Dark Tower series but there's definitely sex in tDT books and I'm pretty sure in 'The Stand' also. 'Dolores Claiborn' has incest as a central topic, so I'd steer clear of that one also initially.

I'd say 'Firestarter', 'The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon', or 'UR' if you have access to a kindle. I'm a big SK fan and I'm sure I started reading his stuff fairly young, but I was pretty mature for my age and my parents let me read anything I wanted.

 

[kamik86]

If instead of Horror books she wants more fantasy stuff (since you mentioned liking Harry Potter) I could recommend ALOT more.

One of my favorite books ever is called the Fire Rose. I don't know if its considered a teen or adult book but it would be appropriate for a 10 year old since its really Beauty and the Beast but moderized and not childrens stories (so a bit more violent as people are really trying to hurt each other with magic more then turn people into frogs). There is a whole series of these but they don't depend on each other, there is a Cinderella, Snow White, and... I think Sleeping Beauty is the last one, but I don't remember the names of those off the top of my head I'll have to ask my husband tomorrow.

Anything else by Mercedes Lackey or Piers Anthony is also really good (well Piers Anthony's Xanth series is good until like book 20 but after that he should have let it die). Rick Riordan's young adult book series are good, the first is the Percy Jackson series about greek demigods in modern times. The second is on egyptian mythology and is also really good.