I think you're right. Even ten can be too young for some of the things addressed in the later books: not that they're "inappropriate" for kids at that age, but that they won't get it, not really. I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time at the age of eleven, and I really think I was too young. The depth of the HP books is lost on anyone who is not at least a teenager.
For instance, if you ask anyone over the age of sixteen what they thought of Harry's attitude and actions in OotP, they say, "Man, Rowling got it exactly right!" They remember being like that, and feeling that the whole world was out to get them, that everyone they love or care for is abandoning/betraying them, and that their emotions held sway over everything. But you ask anyone under the age of fourteen about OotP, and they're confused or put off by Harry. It's all about perspective and experience.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-02-09 04:55 pm (UTC)For instance, if you ask anyone over the age of sixteen what they thought of Harry's attitude and actions in OotP, they say, "Man, Rowling got it exactly right!" They remember being like that, and feeling that the whole world was out to get them, that everyone they love or care for is abandoning/betraying them, and that their emotions held sway over everything. But you ask anyone under the age of fourteen about OotP, and they're confused or put off by Harry. It's all about perspective and experience.