Kindle for a child?

Kim_kim

My grandson is an avid reader, my daughter has asked I buy him a kindle for Xmas.
I’ve never owned a kindle so I don’t know much about them.
Is this the best for a child? He’s 8

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07741S7Y8?!!!!!experevi-21&ascsub!!!!!1401480&th=1&psc=1

I’m thinking a great battery life is really important & water resistant (or proof) would be great.

Anything else I should think about?

He doesn’t need tablet functions, he has an iPad, this is just for reading.

vivatifosi

It may be worth looking at the cheapktablets too. You don't get the matte appearance of the paperwhite and it isnt a specialist ebook reader, but you may find you can download library books to it.


My local library authority (Hertfordshire) has a great ereader offering, all free, but you need a cheap tablet to use (ideally Android or Apple). The paperwhite is bolted down to Amazon, so you are tied into buying. Many UK libraries use Borrowbox for their digital lending. Or he can do this with his iPad.

Kim_kim

vivatifosi wrote: »

It may be worth looking at the cheapktablets too. You don't get the matte appearance of the paperwhite and it isnt a specialist ebook reader, but you may find you can download library books to it.


My local library authority (Hertfordshire) has a great ereader offering, all free, but you need a cheap tablet to use (ideally Android or Apple). The paperwhite is bolted down to Amazon, so you are tied into buying. Many UK libraries use Borrowbox for their digital lending. Or he can do this with his iPad.

I think kindles and e-readers are much nicer to read than iPads, plus the battery life is fantastic. They are more robust, neat and lighter.

popplo.financer

As much as I love a good book I love my kindle as well, they do have great battery life and I would recommend for kids too I got my niece one and she loves it!


If you want a book only kindle you can still have parental controls and choose what books you would like added to it, if you want the tablet kindle same applies, I find the amazon kindles have amazing parental control filters.


Hope this helps!

Kim_kim

popplo.financer wrote: »

As much as I love a good book I love my kindle as well, they do have great battery life and I would recommend for kids too I got my niece one and she loves it!


If you want a book only kindle you can still have parental controls and choose what books you would like added to it, if you want the tablet kindle same applies, I find the amazon kindles have amazing parental control filters.


Hope this helps!

I didn’t know about the library thing, I looked up his local library and it’s anything but a kindle!

Do I get another or stick with a kindle?

DigForVictory

The waterproofing is a bit of a red herring & anyway do you want the lad to learn books can cope with water?

The dumbest kindle available (and I got a just fine one on a car boot for a tenner) in a robust case will keep most children & adults content! It's all about what books are there already there & can I switch it on without having to wait for it to charge first then download books? Well worth a bit of pre-reveal charging & loading.

Remember the kindle is a clever memory stick you can dump ebooks onto without specialist software (*other than calibre [which is free] to convert from various formats*) so the whole setting parental controls can be stepped around by just not setting it up as an amazon sales tool to start with.

Which any savvy child (& friends) will work around but if they seriously are just using it for reading, what is the issue? Hoping you & he have a very happy Christmas!

Fran_Klee

OP, being an avid reader and an early adopter of ebooks I personally progressed until today I own a Kobo Aura H20.
Because it's a big & decent screen, my eyesight isn't what it was and it suits my particular needs (sd card capability & more).

BUT .............
in recent years when it came to both my better half and my not-yet-teen son I recommended (and purchased) for both the Kindle Paperwhite.

Why?
Not especially because of water resistance but because IMHO it's the best all-round ereader for the money.

Yes you can but cheaper; you can buy secondhand too.
But especially if you are already in Amazon's system a new ereader and a decent cover will be sure to last for quite a while.
I found that most children's ebooks were cheaper in Amazon than other retailers and cheaper than hard copy too.
Not of course as cheap as a secondhand book but horses for courses.

Kim_kim

If I bought two kindles and one kindle unlimited subscription- could we download to both kindles?

Kim_kim

Kim_kim wrote: »

If I bought two kindles and one kindle unlimited subscription- could we download to both kindles?

Can anyone answer this?

mac.d

As long as both Kindle's are registered to your account you will be able to read the books on both. Just make sure you research whether or not a Kindle Unlimited subscription is worth it for you or not.

This is a US website but have a read: Kindle Unlimited - 12 things to know

Kim_kim

mac.d wrote: »

As long as both Kindle's are registered to your account you will be able to read the books on both. Just make sure you research whether or not a Kindle Unlimited subscription is worth it for you or not.

This is a US website but have a read: Kindle Unlimited - 12 things to know

That’s great, sorry one more question.

It’s 10 books per account? So he could download 5 & I 5?
Would he see mine on his kindle? I mean I’ve read 50 shades, but in case the writes some more..........

The other thing, I’ve got Prime - does that make a difference.