McCaffrey for a young reader?

Hello. My 8-year-old daughter recently found The Dolphins of Pern at a bookstore and wanted to get it because it was about dragons *and* dolphins. I talked her out of it, because it was not one I've read and I know McCaffrey did not, by and large, write for a younger audience.

She then promptly asked if she could buy Acorna instead.

Reading-level or vocabulary are not going to be an issue, but I am concerned about the content -- adult relationships/dragon fights/etc. I don't restrict my daughter's reading very much, but I do usually try to at least keep her in the kids/YA section.

So anyhow, two questions:
1) Which of the Pern books would you consider "ok" for a younger reader? Would the Dolphins of Pern work? It's literally decades since I read any Pern books and my fuzzy memory suggested Dragonsong and Dragonsinger were likely okay but none of the others. However I have only read the two original trilogies and Dragonsdawn.

2) What about the Acorna books? Those seem like they start off geared towards a younger audience, but how quickly does she grow up?

I don't remember Dolphins specifically, but the Pern books are quite open about sex. The dragons and fire lizards mate, and their people react and participate. I would not recommend any of the series to an eight year old.

Definitely point her to Dragonsong and Dragonsinger about the character Menolly, those are perfect (and I would even call them Anne McCaffrey's best). Also a good setup for reading McCaffrey's other Pern novels when she's older. She might not have to wait long, I was reading Dragonflight in seventh grade in the 1980s and it did me no harm, must have been ... 12, I guess?

My only caution, the third related Menolly book Dragondrums is lower quality and I'd discourage her from bothering with it.

^ Agree with Cecrow. I think once she's aware of what mating is and the fact that humans "mate" too, there isn't anything in the Pern books that is too explicit for a middle-schooler. (I read Dragonflight in late-fifth-grade, and there was a fair bit that went over my head, but nothing too scarring. :) )

But definitely start from the Menolly books for the younger age-group. (And I do think that Dolphins is not too bad, too. The protagonists are younger, like Menolly, so there's more coming of age and pushing back against stupid adults vs. the more complicated adult emotions of Dragonflight.

Thanks for the responses!

i will dig out Dragonsong and Dragonsinger for her then. They were my favorites also - I'm a bit sorry to hear none of the later books are as good. But I will put the others back into the "middle-school+" mental pile which is where most of my books still live.

I think I was in 6th or 7th grade when I first read the Pern books; I'd probably not worry too much about handing them to a middle-schooler. I was actually a little surprised to see how many books there are at this point.

Cecrow - I did not like Dragondrums either!

I still like the original trilogy Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon - despite F'lar not exactly coming across anymore like a good romantic model. A litttttttle too abusive.

Beyond those, the only ones I was glad I took the trouble to read were the new bookends, Dragonsdawn (how Earthlings first came to Pern) and All the Weyrs of Pern (immediately follows White Dragon). I didn't much care about Moreta or the Renegades, etc.

I like all of them until Todd McCaffrey took over.

I completely agree with >3 Cecrow: and >4 Niko:

If your daughter wants to read about dragons, maybe she would like Cornelia Funke's Dragon rider. That is definitely a book suitable for children, and it has plenty of dragon stuff.

Kids liked Harry Potter series, I do not see why dragons and dolphins would be inappropriate. Dolphins are friendly animals, they can soothe human from negative emotions -- those that are suffering or ailing with emotions can find healing properties from dolphins. Dolphins make sounds, they sing in water.

>9 Lulileih: The dolphins and dragons aren't the problem, the (human) sex is. Some of the Pern books have scenes that are unsuitable for an 8 y.o.

>9 Lulileih: - read some more about what dolphins get up to! ;-)

I think when I was a teenager I liked all of the original trilogy + Dragonsdawn; certainly the number of random details I remember suggests I read them quite frequently! But I preferred F'nor to F'lar ;)

Ennas -- Dragon Rider looks like something she would like - thanks! :)

>12 merrystar: OMG, YES! on F'nor over F'lar. (And Canth is hands-down my favorite dragon. :) )

I have kind of a "thing" for loyal lieutenant type characters, overall... there's something somehow more awesome about characters who are a step down from the big, shiny HERO!! but still being brave and smart and dedicated.

I agree with several posts above, Dragonsong and Dragonsinger would be the place I'd start my own daughter in the Pern series. Acorna would probably be okay, but the later books get into her romantic life and they might be scary for an 8 year old too. The Acorna's Children, Twins of Petaybee, and Barque Cats books written with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough are YA, but the first two are sequels to other series and the third is tangentially related to another series. The Dolphins of Pern would probably be more appropriate for a young teen.