I remember reading this when I was around 8. For some people at that age it may have been a little scary, so keep that in mind. Now years later I randomly thought of this book and remembered that it was one of my favorite books since then. After you finish the first one you want to keep reading more and more, and the plots in these books are amazing. The only bad thing about them is when you finish the series, and at that point you can just read them again. I definitely would recommend this book and since it is so realistic that you can close your eyes and see the scene in front of you. I cannot stress the fact that you should read this book enough!!!