Harry Potter for 8-year-olds? (no HP7 spoilers)

Hey, I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. The series is one of the most brilliantly written series of books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. The biggest misconception, however, is that they are children’s books. Despite the books having started out as children’s novels, they have grown up along with the protagonist. As the books move along, they get darker, they get more mature, and they get much more violent. From the fourth book on, the books turn more and more into war novels. Generally, the rule of thumb is that whatever age Harry is in the book is an appropriate age for the reader. As the books go on, torture (including torture of children), murder, terrorist attacks, slavery, and an all-out war are featured prominently. Characters are very clearly, very evidentially killed and the discussions of life and death are critical to the narrative of the series as a whole. In short, this is not subject matter for an 8-year-old. It does make one wonder, then, why Barak Obama is reading them to his own young child.

AP Interview: Michelle Obama says husband is the 'Harry Potter parent'
Chicago Sun-Times

BOCA RATON, Fla.---- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is the ''Harry Potter parent'' who has read all six books about the boy wizard's adventures with his older daughter, his wife said Thursday.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Michelle Obama said her husband has read the books aloud with 9-year-old Malia and saw the latest movie, ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,'' with her last Sunday.

Both are awaiting the release of J.K. Rowling's seven and final book in the series, ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,'' this weekend, but finding time to read won't be easy, she said.'The challenge will be scheduling Harry Potter reading time in between Iowa and New Hampshire and fundraising, but I guarantee you they will figure out a way to do it,'' Michelle Obama told the AP. ''Harry Potter is huge in our house.''