Best e-reader for 7 year old.

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sember987
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Best e-reader for 7 year old.

Post by sember987 »

I know this is probably going to bring up a lot of controversy about giving a child an electronic instead of a real book but here it goes.
My 7 year old reads a crazy amount between 15 and 20 books a week depending on the length. The library we go to is about 45 miles away so we only get there every other week so I want to get her an Ereader that is easy to use and read off of. It would be a bonus if it displayed picture since some of the chapter books she reads has pictures. Thanks in advance.
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Post by IffixYSantaph »

Most of the E-readers I have used are very user friendly, so it's hard to choose. However, just because you can trust them, and in fact you likely already have some of their software on your device, I would recommend Adobe reader (for PDF), and Adobe Digital Editions (for ePub). I was planning to try to get mobipocket, as I've heard very promising things about it, where mobi files are concerned, but their site has been giving me dead links tonight. But MOST ebooks are in PDF and ePub format.

Of course, depending on what device, PC, laptop, tablet, etc, you will usually have a variety of software available for that particular device. I would start with freeware, but be cautious as a lot of freewares have some not so good programs bundled with them. (Thus the recommendation for Adobe, which doesn't have this sort of thing, provided you download directly from their site.)

-- 19 Oct 2014, 22:40 --

An additional point: We're living in the information age. Technology is just as much for young ones as adults. So don't let anyone give you a hard time or try to spark some sort of controversy. (Most kids are using devices from a very early age. If you can't figure something out, ask your toddler to show you.)
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Post by Sparrow »

“I know this is probably going to bring up a lot of controversy about giving a child an electronic instead of a real book but here it goes.”
Not anymore- my son is 12, & I'm constantly amazed by how much his (public) school incorporates computers & electronics into his classes. They more or less assume that every household has internet, and every kid his own PC or Laptop, & his own tablet.

As a grownup who used to (and still does) read like crazy too, I think getting your daughter an ereader is really less about it being an electronic device and more about fostering her nature with respect to reading.


There are two major things to consider when deciding on this: price, & purpose.

Let's talk Purpose:

  • An ereader is designed for the purpose of reading ebooks. It might have additional features that allow you to surf the web, check email, play games, etc.- but it was made with one thing in mind: reading ebooks.

    A tablet is designed for multi-purpose use, through the use of apps. It was made for doing things like surfing the web, checking email, playing games, keeping a day planner, reading ebooks, listening to audiobooks or music, watching video content, & even has pared down version of things like Microsoft Word (OfficeSuitePro on the tablet), so you can create, edit and save documents. It has apps that let you edit photo's & play around with them, like you would in PhotoShop on your laptop or PC. It also is made to integrate with your social media accounts- there are apps for things like Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, HULU, Spotify, Youtube, etc..


The kind of apps available to you for your tablet, for free, are endless- I have a weather app that lets me set multiple locations, and tells me 10 day forecasts for all of them. I have an app that tracks the phases of the moon, and one that gives me a daily horoscope. I have one for NPR, CNN, & The New York Times. Basically, whatever you're into- there's an app for that. It boggles the mind, really. Or at least mine ;)

The best way I can think of to describe the choice between ereader and tablet is like this:


Imagine you need crayons. So you you go to the store, and to the art supplies area, and find a box of crayons. They're good crayons, they come in a sturdy crayon box.
You also notice that there are art supply holders- a really sturdy, nice looking box that has all kind of individual compartments inside for holding and separating crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, oil paints, charcoals, markers, etc. And the supply holder actually comes with all that stuff- it's got your crayons, plus basic sets of all the other implements I mentioned.

The cost of the crayons is $6.00, while the art supply holder & all its implements is $10.00.
Which one is the better buy?

Well, it depends. The biggest factor in deciding is price- do you even have $10.00 to spend? Or do only have $6.00? The other factor in deciding is purpose- right now, you only need crayons, but will you ever need or want to use the colored pencils and markers and paints?

If you only have $6.00, or if you only ever use crayons and are 100% sure you'll never need or want paints and pencils, then you buy the crayons.

If you have $10.00, & you often use- or would like to use- paints and pencils and the like, then you should buy the art supply holder.

- - - -

Okay, so now think of the ereader like the crayons, and the tablet like the art supply holder. Can you afford to buy either one? There's your answer.

The purpose of it, for your daughter, might be as an ereader, but in the long run, she will most definitely utilize the other things. She can use the calculator and the internet for homework help, she can find an app for keeping track of her homework and tests. She can create documents for homework or reports. See where I'm going with this? And there are plenty of ways for you to restrict access as a parent to stuff, if you're worried about that. I don't have any expereience with it, but I know it exists, and I'm sure there's an app for that ;)

Ultimately, it's about personal preference, too- some people love, love, love their kindles, and Kindles are pretty nifty. But I just can't rationalize spending money for less, when you can get more. And depending on which way you go, the differences in price point are somewhat negligible. There are some additional reasons I'm not as fond of Kindle/Amazon, but as an ebook forum, I'm sure that's been discussed, and plus, this is about ereaders in general. But if you decide at some point to look at Kindles for her, read up on some of the cons of them, just so you have a fair, balanced idea of what they're about.

E-paper Kindles start around $70- that's the bare bones one; they only have black and white, and don't do much else outside reading fiction. The kindle fire line ranges from $100= almost $400- but something else to consider is that the kindle fire isn't billed as an ereader; it's billed as a tablet- yet it's still hopelessly tied to Kindle. So really, it's a bit of chicanery- you think you're buying the freedom of a tablet, but really, you're not. Sort of.

As far as tablets go, the possibilities are endless, and there are some bottom shelf lines that run about $60.00, but if you can afford to, I suggest a Samsung Galaxy Tab. The first tablet I bought my son was one of the cheaper ones, a Trio, for around $80- it was a decent starter tablet, I guess, but limited in what it could do, and ultimately, I wish I would have just but the bullet and got him the SG Tab 2, which is what he has now, and loves.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3- my husband and son have 2's. I think they've made up to 5's now, Obviously, the 2's are cheaper than 3's, and the 3's are cheaper than 5's, etc- but the differences between them are pretty small, and aren't really going to be a major deciding point for what you need.

Right now, Target's selling the Tab 3's for $215.00- I'm sure there are better deals out there, but I'm just using that number to give you a general idea on cost. -

I'm sure ebay has tons of them on the cheap, and again, you could always go the used route until she's older and then get a new one.

Just to clarify- they also make a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 LITE, which runs a bit cheaper ($139.00), but it's had bad reviews. I found a Youtube video & a an article online that compares specs between the lite and the regular tab, but they're not letting me post links yet. Sorry- but if you google one vs the other, I'm sure yuou'll find a wealth of info.

Okay- so again, about $200.00 new for one. You can of course look at refurbished or used ones too, just make sure you're buying from somewhere that you get a good warranty or guarantee (6 months+), & you won't have to worry about getting a lemon. Amazon has refurbished ones starting around $89. I know QVC sells them on installment plans- you put down 1/6th of the total price plus SH, they send you the tablet, and then bill your card in monthly installments- this is actually how I got mine, when my last Pandigital broke, bc I didn't have the cash.

- - -

On a more personal note: I can't wax poetic enough about how much I love my tab3. I was not at all into the concept of ereaders when they first came out, but my son bought me one (an actual ereader, not a tablet- it was called a Pandigital), so, being a mom, I took to the thing with gusto lest I hurt his feelings. As it turns out, I loved it- this was an old Pandigital, but the reality of being able to carry 100's of books anywhere is pretty intoxicating to a book lover. I still read regular books, still have a lot of overflowing bookshelves, and still buy hard copies of books I like or want, bc I don't think you can ever replace them, but in the long run, getting your daughter an ereader is going to be the fiscally sound decision as well.

That first Pandigital, by the way, broke pretty early on- and a friend had one they never used and gave it to me. That one died pretty much the same way, and then my aunt passed me hers, since she never used it. In then end, my husband and son called it my “Franken-digital”, b/c I was parsing together parts from each one to make the thing run. It was a headache, and when I finally realized it was time to move on, I ended up getting the Tab 3- and holy mother, what a mahoosive difference. Between the built in memory and my memory card, I have well over 1000 books on it. I can be reading a book, and highlight a word, and it gives me the definition, or the option to search Google for it. It's got a camera and a video recorder I never really use, but i'm sure for a kiddo that would be a big plus. The battery life it pretty decent, even 1 year in- compared to the Pandigital battery, it's the bomb.

When I got it, I went through a lot of reading apps before finding the one I loved (UB Reader), and then I paid the $3 to upgrade it to the premium version (basically, it gets rid of the adverts. Plus it's nice to support the person who created it, since they do that for free. I have the free Kindle app too- mainly bc I get free ebooks from there, and I will say, the library aesthetic for the free kindle app is very, very cool. Not cool enough to make me buy a Kindle Fire though.
The UB Reader only reads epub & pdf, so the Kindle allows me to read mobi, but if you're not familiar with it, there's free software online call Calibre; you download it to your laptop or PC, and it's a library management system that also allows you to convert files from one format to another. So I can upload a Kindle book I own to Calibre, and convert it to epub (or any other) format. Calibre does lots of neat stuff- you can edit metadata, change covers, etc.

With a tablet, your daughter can download both the Kindle and the UB Reader app (or any of the 100 other ereading apps that use epub- you just have to play around with them till you find the one you like), and she'll be able to get free books online and through the library, without having to worry about finding matching formats.

I think that's about all. This was a really looong post reply; sorry- hope I haven't put you to sleep ;) I'm sure there are some folks in camp ereader who can also sound in, and give you more detailed info about what to expect with one, too- I've had experience with both, but ultimately, I'm a tablet girl, and that's where the bulk of my experience lies.
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Post by rssllue »

I would go with the nook color myself, but I know a lot of people also like the Kindle fire as well. I think a seven year old should be okay with either of these.
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Post by Cody Mathews »

Kindle Fire: Best on the market!

I just purchased a Kindle Fire HDX for my 6 year old son. If you sign up for the Kindle Free Time ($6.99 per month and worth it) you get unlimited access to books, and reading apps that automatically adjust to their age, gender and likes/dislikes. You can also set a beginning and end time so the kindle automatically shuts off after a set amount of time. Plus, you don't have to worry about them getting onto the internet or going to your Amazon Prime movies/tv shows since they remain in Free Time and cannot leave it without knowing your password.

When they are done, you can log out of Free Time and browse your own kindle books, apps, movies, tv shows, etc. and browse the internet on the same device.

I love it! Well worth the investment (we paid around $140 for the 6" screen and case) and since it is an Amazon product, you already have access to Kindle Books and amazing customer service if you have any issues.
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Post by MeeksMeeks »

The Kindle Fire is the best E-Reader. I have one and I also bought one for my eight year old nephew. I love how you can set a timer to limit the amount of time they spend on the tablet. It also has age appropriate apps! He takes it wherever he goes. It was a great buy for the both of us.
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Post by TLGabelman »

Can your 7yr old talk to my 7yr old! I encourage reading almost above everything else (of course family time is #1 here), I have done everything I know how without being pushy to get both my girls excited about reading. Maybe getting her an ereader is the key! Of course mommy should have one first :)
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Post by braydencrown »

Great Topic you have shared. Good to know about this post.
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Post by ainwee »

You can also set a beginning and end time so the kindle automatically shuts off after a set amount of time. Plus, you don't have to worry about them getting onto the internet or going to your Amazon Prime movies/tv shows since they remain in Free Time and cannot leave it without knowing your password. ??

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Post by Phillymom80 »

I bought my youngest a kindle fire when she was 6 for her birthday, that was a year ago, and she loves it. It's the perfect size and weight for little hands. So I would recommend the kindle fire. Plus Amazon makes a kid friendly version
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Post by ZeroChill »

Get them a kindle. It is easy on the eyes and has a considerable battery time...... Plus they are not that much costly
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Post by Dolor »

sember987 wrote: 18 Oct 2014, 07:42 I know this is probably going to bring up a lot of controversy about giving a child an electronic instead of a real book but here it goes.
My 7 year old reads a crazy amount between 15 and 20 books a week depending on the length. The library we go to is about 45 miles away so we only get there every other week so I want to get her an Ereader that is easy to use and read off of. It would be a bonus if it displayed picture since some of the chapter books she reads has pictures. Thanks in advance.
This is not a problem if you have a smartphone. Just download for free ereader Prestigio app on Google Play Store and you could access free books too. I have saved Grimm's fairy tale collections and the Alice in Wonderland from that app. So many free books to choose from. Read books through it or let the smartphone read for you. ☺
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Post by DAVOH »

I think the Kindle is a great e reader for children. It allows them to store book over the device and the Kindle books are usually cheaper than physical books. I love Kindle Fire, but a child would be happy with a plain Kindle
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Post by Dolor »

DAVOH wrote: 01 Dec 2017, 03:06 I think the Kindle is a great e reader for children. It allows them to store book over the device and the Kindle books are usually cheaper than physical books. I love Kindle Fire, but a child would be happy with a plain Kindle
There are lots of FREE books in ereader Prestigio. No need to pay for subscription. And it works like Kindle app.
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Post by Samy Lax »

I am thinking Kindle Fire. Maybe take him to the store and have him give it a check?
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