There has been a big change in children's literature over the last 50 years. The Harry Potter franchise is probably the most important thing that has happened.

There have been kids and adults all over the world who have been hooked on J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books since her first one came out in 1998.

If your kids are interested in going to this wizarding world, look no further. I've put together a detailed Harry Potter reading level guide to help you figure out when your kids are ready to read each book.

A Bit About Harry Potter

This is unless you've been living under a rock. The Harry Potter series is about a young wizard named Harry and his friends.

But if you're not a Harry Potter fan, you might need a refresher on some of the bigger parts of the story.

This is one of seven books that are all about Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione. They are students at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which is a very good school.

With each book in Harry Potter, the children get one year older. That's one of the things that makes the series so interesting! In book one, they're excited 11-year-olds. By the end of book seven, they're 18-year-olds.

During this fight between good and bad, we get to see these beloved characters grow up and change.

This is how the story goes: The kids are on a quest to defeat Voldemort, who is bad. Voldermort wants to destroy both the wizarding world and the rest of the world so he can live for ever.

It talks about good and bad, love, friendship... just a few of the things the books talk about.

Harry Potter Reading Level Guide by Age and Grade

All seven Harry Potter books in the series are below. I give each one a recommendation for the age and grade level of the person who reads it. I've taken into account two things: how well you can read and how well the content fits your needs.

Most of the time, the themes in these stories become more mature as the series goes on. This lets kids work their way through each book as they grow and change, too.

Of course, each child is different. The best person to tell you what your child or student is ready for is you, the parent or teacher. These age recommendations are only meant to help you figure out where to start. They are not set in stone.

It doesn't get any better than this: Here is the Harry Potter reading level guide.

Age 8 + / 2nd and 3rd grade

By the time they're in third grade, most kids are ready to start reading the first three Harry Potter books, which are called the "Harry Potter books." After about eight years old, most kids will be able to read these books on their own.

If your child has trouble reading, reading these books aloud with them can be a great way to share these stories and spend time together. If you're like your kids, you'll love the books, too!

#Book 1: The Sorcerer’s Stone

As with all Harry Potter books, The Sorcerer's Stone talks about some hard things. It's done in a way that can help people have a healthy conversation.

There are some scary parts in this book, like when the kids meet an evil troll that they have to fight together. This fight between Harry and Voldermort goes on for a long time at the end of the book as well.

It's also important to point out that this book talks about the death of parents in some way. This might be a good idea if your child hasn't seen or read about it in other books or movies yet. You might want to start by gently talking about it with them.

#Book 2: The Prisoner of Azkaban

This book has a lot of things in common with the first one, and the story picks up right where the first book left off.

At the end of the book, there is only one big fight scene, and it's not as scary as the ones in The Sorcerer's Stone. If your child did well with the themes in Book 1, they'll be able to handle Book 2.

In this book, death is also a subject. There was a young Hogwarts student who was killed by a mysterious creature many years ago. This time, it's about the death of that student. Because she isn't a main character and the reader hasn't made a connection with her, most kids don't care.

#Book 3: The Chamber of Secrets

The Chamber of Secrets is a little more difficult to read than the previous two books. It also deals with some difficult topics, but they're still presented in a way that's easy for kids to understand. With that in mind, though, if your child liked the first two books, they're likely to like the third one, too.

Serial killers are shown in some of the more mature themes. This murderer has no connection to many of the people he has killed so far in the series. For no reason, and on a large scale.

Rowling presents these ideas in a way that is easy to understand, and most young readers aren't going to give them a second thought.

Age 10+/ 5th grade

For books 4 and 5, the reading level goes up a lot. The plot gets more complicated and is probably too hard for kids younger than about 10.

These books are also longer and require more attention than many young readers can keep up with.

People usually start reading Harry Potter books 4 and 5 when they're in fifth grade. If they can read, they should be able to keep going with books 4 and 5.

#Book 4: The Goblet of Fire

It's important for your child to know that the next book is going to be more scary and faster than the last one.

At the very beginning of this book, there is a murder scene that happens in real time. Before this point, all of the themes of death have been looked at in the past, not in the present.

Along with this, a minor character dies about two-thirds of the way through the book. This person was a friend of one of the main characters.

Toward the end of the book, there is also a twist that some kids might find disturbing. The children are betrayed by an adult they thought they could trust, and the consequences are dire.

They don't like when grown-ups break kids' trust, even though the violence in these movies is mostly PG.

#Book 5: The Order of the Phoenix

As soon as you finish book 4, you move on to book 5. The Order of the Phoenix has a lot of things in common with the last one. If your child made it through book 4 without any problems, they should be able to read and understand book 5.

In this book, there is another death at the end. This time, it's a more important person. Not Harry, Ron, or Hermione! But it is a character close to Harry's heart and something more sensitive kids might find sad.

Age 11/ 6th Grade

In terms of reading and understanding, book 6 is about the same level as the other two books. There are many layers and twists in the plot that most kids with good comprehension skills can handle on their own without it being too hard.

I think the 6th book is better for 11-year-olds than 10-year-olds because it has difficult themes that many 10-year-olds don't understand yet.

#Book 6: The Half-Blood Prince

This book talks about what the soul is and how bad things can permanently harm a person's spirit.

It also looks at the huge amount of responsibility that has been put on Harry's shoulders. It doesn't matter that he has his friend's help. He's almost entirely on his own in the fight between good and bad. Even adults can't protect him.

These ideas can be very difficult for young children to understand and deal with.

Age 13/8th grade

Most kids who can read and understand books 4, 5, and 6 will be able to read and understand book 7. However, because of the themes it talks about, it's almost certain to be PG13.

#Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

If your child isn't very mature when it comes to emotions, I don't think they should read the last book in the Harry Potter series until they're in the 8th grade.

A lot more often now, the theme of death is talked about. People who are important in the story die in this book, and there are some very gruesome scenes of violence that we haven't seen in the other books.

When it comes to life, death, strength, and loyalty, this book is the last in JK Rowling's long-running series. At the end of the book, all of these important things are summarized in a beautiful way that makes sense.

Conclusion

There's a Harry Potter reading level guide on the table there, as well. Love how this series grows with kids as they learn to read and become more mature over the years.

JK Rowling also manages to draw in people of all ages, not just kids. You might be one of the adults who love this show. I hope you and your kids enjoy this magical world as generations to come will, too.

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