E-book reader for a 9 yr. old??

[Petie1104]

I got a new Pandigital E-book Reader and I LOVE IT!!!  I downloaded books for myself and even some to read aloud to the kids.  Here is my question, my 13 yr. old told me he isn't interested in getting an e-book.  He says he doesn't read enough to need one right now.  The 9 yr. old goes through books faster than I can buy them.  So, I was doing a cost analysis type thing and here are the pros...

ebooks cost less than real books

public domain books are free

he can read as much as he wants without having to wait for the opportunity to go to the bookstore

BUT the cons are....

IT IS EXPENSIVE!!  I mean we aren't talking about a $10 book here, but a $150 investment

He is responsible, but I don't know if he's responsible enough to handle an ebook

Of course to download books onto it, you need computer access, which means that he would have to be taught how to use a computer to do that, meaning, he wouldn't just be using a $150 item, but have access to our $1200 item to use it

If we get him one, then the littles will get jealous, and well, one of them can't read at all, the other one doesn't read enough to use an ebook

So, help me out.  what would you do????  Get the 9 yr. old the e-book (bigger init. investment, lower out of pocket in the long run) or wait a few years (bigger out of pocket expense, but less risk)?

[Drummer's Wife]

I'd probably get it for an avid reader if it's possible financially.  The 2nd generation Kindles are $139 if you are open to another brand.  If you have wifi using a computer isn't necessary (though I have to be honest here, my 9 yr old is much more proficient with computers and ipods and such than I am, so I imagine she would have no problem downloading books if the computer was needed.  Maybe it's different with the ereader you have, but I use a Kindle app on my phone and it's just a couple clicks from the actual device; I don't have to be near a computer.  You could always supervise that part - I password protect things that need to be downloaded so I have to approve them first. 

[velochic]

I'm a pretty firm believer in using the public library (I work in one), so I wouldn't (personally) do this.  I want my dd to experience browsing the shelves, picking out books, finding authors that she likes or being able to easily return books she doesn't like without a cost being incurred.  I want her to experiment with different genres and book media (she loves to listen to books in the car, as she gets car sick).  With an e-reader, you don't really get the chance to browse.  If you don't like a book, you're out the money, so you're not going to randomly pick a book that may turn out to be your favorite.  You can't experiment with different authors.  Plus also, I think that there is something about the tactile involvement with holding a book in your hands and getting lost in it.  I admit, I'm old fashioned.  There is just something special about BOOKS and LIBRARIES that I don't want dd to miss out on.  She gets enough interaction with digital media as it is.  I guess I think there is something to be said for words on paper.  That's just me, though.  If these things are not issues and he'll take care of it, then why not?

[Pyrodjm]

I have a Kindle and love it. I would get one for a nine year-old if he was an avid reader. You can also check out the Nook which allows you to borrow ebooks through your local library (if they have this sort of system in place). Both allow allow you to download directly to the device. No computer needed.

[zebra15]

I've decided to get my 10 yr old a Nook that we are going to share.  Nook allows you to 'borrow' books from the library and yes my son has his own laptop so he can download, do schoolwork etc as needed.  He's had this over a year and there have been no problems (laptop was under $400).  IDK about your computer but my laptop and DS is able to set up 'user' accounts and you can make only certain applications available to your child.

NookColor comes with wifi so I dont even think you need to use the computer.  My roommates Kindle is about 2 yrs old and she doesnt need a computer to download her purchases either.

[GalateaDunkel]

You have an academically normal (or advanced?) nine year old who's never been allowed to use a computer? And doesn't have a library card?

[jeminijad]

Originally Posted by GalateaDunkel 

You have an academically normal (or advanced?) nine year old who's never been allowed to use a computer? And doesn't have a library card?

Exactly.

The 9 year old needs to be able to use the computer.

[Momsteader]

I'd probably not. We have a Kindle, but like previous posters, we love the library!  We go and spend hours looking, reading, deciding, and leave with an armload of books and we may only read 1/4 cover to cover. We use the Kindle for trips when it won't be practical to take a ton of books along, but I can't see it as the primary book reading for a 9 yo.

[Petie1104]

Originally Posted by GalateaDunkel 

You have an academically normal (or advanced?) nine year old who's never been allowed to use a computer? And doesn't have a library card?

Wow, wasn't expecting judgement.  He is allowed to use the computer, he is not allowed on the internet.  And no, he doesn't have a library card for this area because we've only lived her for about 30 days. With that said, I guess it's not a concern about him learning to use a computer as to how to navigate the internet.  Does that make more sense?

[Petie1104]

Originally Posted by CrunchyClark 

I'd probably not. We have a Kindle, but like previous posters, we love the library!  We go and spend hours looking, reading, deciding, and leave with an armload of books and we may only read 1/4 cover to cover. We use the Kindle for trips when it won't be practical to take a ton of books along, but I can't see it as the primary book reading for a 9 yo.

I can't stand going to the library most days.  Now that some of the kids are getting older it's better, but it's still stressful.  The 4yr. old and 7 yr. old are bad about getting loud, running, and going basically insane when they get excited, and books get them VERY excited.  Now that the 4 yr. old is getting better about getting loud I plan on trying again.  But going to the library has always been used for when we want to try a certain book but we aren't sure if we'll like it or not.  Browsing is usually too stressful for the two smaller ones.

[Owen'nZoe]

I've had a Kindle for a year now, and my experience just hasn't meshed with a lot of the pp's concerns:

- I still use the library - a lot! I know you said the library doesn't work for you right now, but I don't think that having an e-reader means your child wouldn't enjoy using the library anyway. I find I do about 50% of my reading on the Kindle, and 50% comes from the library (on paper). I go with paper library books because a) sometimes a book I want isn't available electronically, b) sometimes the electronic version is way more expensive than the paper version, and I don't want to pay for it, c) some books just don't work electronically - they have pictures or diagrams or charts that don't display properly on an e-reader, d) and yes, sometimes it is just nice holding a paper book (although this is way less important to me now than I thought it would be before I had the Kindle).

- You can browse - the browsing is just different. I've picked up books I might never have read by browsing the free book lists (both public domain books and books that are offered free as a promotion by a publisher for a limited time), and by downloading the first chapter (for free) of books I heard about but wasn't sure I'd like. It isn't exactly the same as browsing the shelves, but not as different as you might think.

- You don't need a computer to download books as long as it has Wi-Fi or 3G access. With the Kindle, you'd have Wi-Fi at the $139 price-point, and both at the $169 price point. Your child would also have internet access on the Kindle. I'm not sure how it works for other e-readers, but the Kindle does have a browser, and you can get to non-book-related websites. It isn't a very fun way to browse the internet if you have access to a computer and/or smartphone, but it is access none-the-less, so if restricting internet use is important to you, you'd want to consider that.

I do let my 6 year old use my Kindle from time to time. It is easy to use, and he has no problem reading on it. Once the novelty wore off, though, he does seem to prefer paper books to the Kindle. I think it is the lack of color illustrations that turns him off, but maybe it is something else... I'd probably see if I could borrow one or at least let the 9 year old try it out in a store before deciding one way or the other.

Good luck with your decision!

[lactivistmama]

I am trying to make the same decision now for my almost 8 year old. She wants wants a Nook really bad. She does read alot, but it is such an investment! Her friend got a Kindle for Christmas (they bought one for each of the 3 children 8,10 and 12), and talking with her parents it has been a really positive thing so far. 

[Petie1104]

Originally Posted by lactivistmama 

I am trying to make the same decision now for my almost 8 year old. She wants wants a Nook really bad. She does read alot, but it is such an investment! Her friend got a Kindle for Christmas (they bought one for each of the 3 children 8,10 and 12), and talking with her parents it has been a really positive thing so far. 

 We decided to use a friend's old, used one after having it cleaned out.  So far, it seems that ds loves it.  We are able to get free books that are on google books and he likes that.  Plus barnes and noble has a section that has free previews of books, so we use that alot.  I am thinking that if it doesn't "go out of style" for him by his birthday in September then I will get him a new one.

[TEAK's Mom]

We just gave my 8 year old dd1 a Kindle for the holidays and it is proving to be a very worthwhile investment. She is such a prolific reader (she can easily read 1000 pages in a day and still have a playdate, eat meals, take a walk, etc) that we were having difficulties keeping her in reading material. Thankfully, she is a re-reader, but there are still limits. Add this to the fact that our small town library has great staff, but a pitiful collection and slow access to inter-library loans, and it is nothing short of a goddess-send. 

Since I also have a Kindle, I just registered hers to my account. This means that we can share books and that I keep control of her book-buying (I trust her, but one-click can be seductive). 

One other thing to consider is thousands of books are available for free (legally). This week, dd1 has been reading Little Women, Anne of Green Gables (and the rest of the series), Sherlock Holmes, Oliver Twist, and re-reading all of the Oz books. All of these books were free. 

For us, dd1's Kindle has been wonderful.

[Petie1104]

Originally Posted by post removed by administrator for UA violations

My pandigital is color and works with b&n so I will probably check out the Peter one.  I'll let you know what I think.  That is one reason why I want to get ds his own, one that shows color.  Most the books he reads don't have pictures anyway, but he does like anthropology, archaeology, and paleontology, which usually those books have photos that will hopefully translate well onto an e-book.
 

[georgia]

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[WorldsBestMom]

Being that he loves to read he probably would appreciate the. Ebook.  You have kids his age who receive lap tops and they only play games on it.  What you can do, is to manage the content on the Ebook in terms of what Ebooks you buy for him online and monitor the Ebook once in a whileand  ensure he can take care of it. However he is young and  having an Ebook is great responsibility.

[merpk]

My 13yo son just got a Kindle for his birthday, and we're just in heaven about it.  We live in a nonEnglish-speaking country, so the only way for him to get English books has been for my parents to send them to us in the mail (our budget doesn't allow buying books ourselves too often).

He actually just got it yesterday, so I've spent most of the last day trying to learn about the Kindle, looking up free download and "borrowing" sites and the like.

Does anyone know if there are libraries that "lend" e-books that are usable for / readable on the Kindle?

[TEAK's Mom]

You've just found the one drawback to the Kindle. It doesn't support epub, the format libraries use. That said, there are tons of free books available. Amazon, Project Guttenburg, Baen Books, etc...
 

Originally Posted by merpk 

My 13yo son just got a Kindle for his birthday, and we're just in heaven about it.  We live in a nonEnglish-speaking country, so the only way for him to get English books has been for my parents to send them to us in the mail (our budget doesn't allow buying books ourselves too often).

He actually just got it yesterday, so I've spent most of the last day trying to learn about the Kindle, looking up free download and "borrowing" sites and the like.

Does anyone know if there are libraries that "lend" e-books that are usable for / readable on the Kindle?

[Sorilla]

OMG, when I was 9 years old I would LOVED the idea of having unlimited amount of books readily available with one touch! I am kind of jealous now !