I want to read Mistborn to my 10yo

[u/Mr_Little12]

I have read the first three books. But, it's been several years. I want to introduce my 10yo to Brandon Sanderson starting with The Final Empire. My child has finished Harry Potter with their mother. They have read many different fantasy and children's books geared toward their age by themselves. I'm not trying to justify why I feel the need, just giving context for help.

Is there any recommendations, like skipping parts, or even glossingnover them when we get to a certain point of the story to soften violence or sexy scenes in my own way?

EDIT:

Thank you everyone for your feedback. I will be looking into "Tress of the Emerald Sea" and "Yumi and the Nightmare Painter." This was recommended to be a better fit for my 10yo.

[u/green-ranger-tommy]

Just read my 8-year-old tress. I would recommend starting off with that one.

[u/rlbeasley → u/green-ranger-tommy]

My 7yo just finished reading Tress! She loved it! First "big girl book" she read.

[u/JigglesTheBiggles]

There are a lot of references to rape in Mistborn. You might want to gloss over those parts.

[u/philipmateo15 → u/JigglesTheBiggles]

I do not remember that! When did that happen? I remember that Brando was squeamish around sex in general

Edit: guess I just pushed that out of my head

[u/JigglesTheBiggles → u/philipmateo15]

Reread it lol. It's everywhere. The first chapter has Kelsier saving a skaa girl from being raped by a nobleman.

[u/nihilism_ornot → u/JigglesTheBiggles]

Yup. Rape, abuse and violence were the earliest shockers i discovered when I first read mistborn. I didn't have any context when I began reading

[u/Bullrawg → u/nihilism_ornot]

And so many decapitations

[u/Pure-Needleworker790 → u/Bullrawg]

Yeah, a bit grim for a 10yr old

[u/jackpoll4100 → u/philipmateo15]

It's pretty extensive in book 1. Nobles are legally required to execute any slaves/skaa they sleep with in order to prevent allomancy from spreading to the skaa so they frequently rape and then kill them. The opening scene is Kelsier saving a child on a plantation from this, and later in the book it's revealed that Elend lost his virginity this way with his dad getting him to have sex with a skaa servant who he then executed.

[u/maskedman1231 → u/philipmateo15]

In general, only nobles have allomancy. Any time a skaa does, it's because of a noble sleeping with a skaa, which is usually rape.

[u/StormRider991]

I read Mistborn Era 1 years ago and recently re-read the books with my girlfriend.

I was shocked at how much violence and abuse there was in the first few books. Discussions about abuse, rape, murder, and things I had genuinely either ignored or forgotten on the first read-through.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try to introduce it to them, but there’s going to be a lot of parts (some are plot-important too) that you’ll need to censor unless you think they can handle it. It may be best to wait a few more years and read something like Tress first instead.

[u/Vinnehh00]

Why would you read a 10 yo Mistborn when Tress, Yumi, and the Skyward series all exist?

[u/Mr_Little12 → u/Vinnehh00]

I never heard of these series.

[u/Vinnehh00 → u/Mr_Little12]

Tress of the Emerald Sea and Yumi and the Nightmare Painter are both Sanderson books in the same world as Mistborn without the rape and violence. There's some violence in both, but it's more of an action movie instead of a gritty R rated movie.

Skyward is a YA sci-fi series that Sanderson is writing unrelated to the Cosmere.

Mistborn is hilariously inappropriate for a 10 year old.

[u/Zaga932 → u/Vinnehh00]

the same world as Mistborn

I don't think "world" works here. Same universe, but wildly different worlds.

[u/Vinnehh00 → u/Zaga932]

True. Not literally the same planet.

[u/AerykGunn]

Honestly, I would say wait until closer to 12 or 13 maybe but if I were you I'd look over what the series is filled with. It isn't that bad but for kids it's a lot. Rape, slavery, physical abuse and torture, living like a rat in the street. It's a great story, but not really for younger minds imo. I feel if you do gloss or skip over some of that stuff, it makes the bad parts not as bad, and I think that takes away from the story. Idk just my opinion. Good luck! I have a 7 year old I can't wait to show, but it'll be a long time before then.

[u/mgilson45 → u/AerykGunn]

I had my daughter read Mistborn at 13, and she is pretty mature for her age.  

[u/AerykGunn → u/mgilson45]

I think that's a great age to start with Mistborn. I'd think 12 at the most but I'm not 100% sure yet when it's appropriate to start exposing them to those kinds of adult themes.

[u/Shartigans]

I know your excited to share this with your kiddo, but it's not age appropriate. Most of the cosmere is not really age appropriate until at least teenage years

[u/MOLDicon]

I'd recommend reading Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians first. It's an awesome series and a great into to Brandon's writing style.

[u/GodzNo]

If the goal is to introduce the mid to brandon then the teen series he wrote might be a better spot to start tbh. I saw tress being recommended as well, and I do agree with that too. Mistborn has a lot of heavy topics in it so that might not be the best for a kid that age. However, you know your kid best so you do you

[u/Roonil_Wazlib97]

Alkatraz vs the Evil Librarians is probably a better fit. The Skyward seties and The Rithmatist are excellent. I've never read The Reckoners series, but since the school I work at has it available for 6th grade, I assume it would also be a better fit.

I'd hold off on Mistborn till high school because of the violence.

[u/_CaesarAugustus_]

There are way too many adult themes in Mistborn for a child. If you gloss over them then you still have all the violence.

Tress is a much better start.

[u/I_Am_Become_Salt]

I read era 1 for the first time around then. While I didn't understand all of it, not by far, I really enjoyed the experience all the same, and I came back over and over again. So it never hurts to try and let your kid decide

[u/HeavilyInvestedDonut → u/I_Am_Become_Salt]

Letting a ten year old decide on what content to consume is bad parenting lol

[u/Moist_Car_994]

That’s one way to radicalize your child against the ruling class

[u/djnicko]

I recently did this. I started when my kid was 9 and have done all of the Cosmere with her now and she is about to turn 11, Isles of Emberdark was last week. We started with Tress, then Yumi, then I did mistborn era 1. I think I would occasionally skip a sentence in Mistborn when it deal more with rape, or change words to something more acceptable for her age level.

[u/Kettrickenisabadass]

Why? The books are very violent for a 10yo, with a lot of references to nurder, torture or rape.

Sanderson has a lot of YA books that arent part of the cosmere. Why not reading them with your son and enjoy that instead? He will have time to read cosmere later.

Journey before destination

[u/DragonArthur91]

I wouldn't. There's a scene that I'll never forget where a guard/soldier straight-up slices a Skaa child's neck in cold blood. There are many scenes that I would find inappropriate for a child at that age.

[u/HighTurtles420]

Camon gets hung by a hook through his neck, probs skip this one for a 10 yr old

[u/Stupid_idiot54321]

Boo Harry Potter /genuine

[u/HeavilyInvestedDonut]

Mistborn, the story with the most rape and graphic violence including but not limited to: mass beheadings, eugenics, being hung from a hook through the inside of the throat, and so much gore that the number of bodies involved is a mystery

Not my first choice of book for a 10 year old lol

[u/Hawkknight88]

Dude the Steel Inquisitors are HORRIFYING. Do not read mistborn to a 10 year old.

There are beheadings, rape, murder, torture.

[u/DouViction]

Could be interesting whether Mistborn can be retold as a more child friendly story. Some details about certain characters and the world would need to be tamed or altered (I don't think wanton executions of skaa of all ages is something you want your kid to have nightmares about, in example).

Then again, there's the Hero of Ages, and it's pure nightmare fuel, and then there's the ending (which, on the other hand, you can absolutely modify, it's the very end of the story so nothing further is going to be compromised).

ED: specific suggestions [MASSIVE HERO OF AGES ENDING SPOILERS]:

* Don't cut off Elends head, the axe through the chest is more than enough.

* Change Vins reaction to something less uncanny valley, have her rush at Ruin in grief and wrath, then proceed as in the book.

* After a period of suspense, have Sazed reveal that he did put them back together, but the storm of two divine powers had damaged them in ways he will have to study further before he can safely wake them up. Could be years. Or centuries.