If perhaps you were doubting that this book would be darker and more complex than its predecessors you only need look at the first pages. Rowling leads of with a very complex quote from Aeschylus’ Libation Bearers, then plows forward immediately into a quote from William Penn on the subject of death. If young readers are anything like I was, they’ll just page right past this. And I get it, I get why they would. But you should also consider that Rowling used them for a reason and that it might be cool (and useful and thought-provoking) if perhaps the readers were advanced enough to give those quotes more than a cursory glance.
As the final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows contains no small amount of violence and death. In fact, it’s really just a quest and battle book. So for those hoping that the scariness will let up before bed, it’s just not going to happen. There are very few quiet safe resting points in this book. Since I’ve enumerated all of the violence as well as the numerous deaths below I won’t say much more about it, except that, please expect that characters you like will die. Many of them. It’s not all just bad guys down and a few token good guys knocked out, it’s a full-on battle and there is much loss as would be the case in any real war. Being right or righteous insulates no one from harm.
As Harry is older, there continue to more romantic bits in this book. When there’s not unending violence, there are a few kissing breaks. But more concerning than that from a content standpoint would be that there start to be some bits of writing that could be interpreted in different ways, such as when they mention that Dumbledore’s brother “fiddled about with goats”. There are also insinuations that there is something inappropriate about the nature of Dumbledore and Harry’s relationship but it’s really up to the reader as to how to interpret that. Obviously many younger readers will miss any hints of innuendo but some will not. In this category though, I think the most concerning is the use of the word “berk” as I noted below. I wasn’t familiar with this word and looked it up since sometimes British English has inappropriate language that is unfamiliar to me. I was reading on a kindle, so all I had to do (and there for all your child would have to do) was tap the word and up popped the definition. Which includes the word c-nt. Google will give you the same information. That is not a word I am comfortable with an elementary school student using or knowing.
Also, I’ve really started to notice how much underage drinking occurs in these books. All that butter beer isn’t exactly root beer.
This is the final book and as such, I’m not using spoilers below. Those who die are marked clearly.
Age Recommendation: High school or maybe junior high if the teen in question is a strong reader and you as the parent are comfortable with the content. But definitely consider the level of violence and death, the underage drinking and the romantic/sexual content before offering this to a young reader.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – A couple gets married. Ron gives Harry a book about how to charm witches. Harry does some serious kissing. Fred and George size up some of Fleur’s veela cousins. A wizard used to hoist his robes after drinking. A girl wears a low cut dress. Someone complains that the good looking girls are all taken. Ron’s brothers disappear into the dark with girls. Drunken men catcall Hermione. There’s hugging. There are posters of bikini clad girls. A female character is pregnant. There is a mention of Merlin’s underwear (pants in the UK). Some statues show naked bodies. A fake version of Harry and a fake version of Hermione kiss. Another couple passionately kisses. Harry is naked. Bellatrix Lestrange speaks to Voldemort “as if to a lover.” Snape was in love with Harry’s mother. The epilogue reveals which couples married.
Profanity – Uncle Vernon swears (no words reported), Harry uses swear words (again, none reported), Thank God, “what the hell”, “ruddy hell,” “damn,” “God,” “git” “bleeding,” “effing,” “arse,” “berk” which is a lot worse than I thought. I looked it up just to see and it came up as being short for “Berkshire Hunt” which is rhyming slang for “c-unt”. Look, I don’t think most kids will know that, but I would be concerned that one might google the word for a definition and run into the c-word by mistake. “bastards,” “damned,” “moron,” “bitch” in all caps,
Death, Violence and Gore –Voldemort vows that he must be the one to kill Harry Potter.. There are references to pruning one’s family tree (as in killing family members who are unworthy). Dumbledore’s father attacked Muggles, he finishes his life in prison. Dumbledore’s mother died right as he finished school. His sister also died. A person is suspended upside down in the air and revolving slowly. This person cries out in misery and pain. We learn this person is a Hogwarts teacher. She is then murdered and fed to a snake. Voldemort kills Muggles for fun. There is more talk about Inferi, dead bodies enchnted by Dark Wizards. Harry warns the people that they will be tortured and killed. Death Eaters run into some trouble with banging into a brick wall and being knocked unconscious. Someone loses a tooth. Hedwig the Owl is killed. Voldemort attempts to kill Harry ( I sense this will be a repeated theme). Hagrid has a bad crash. George is covered in blood, an ear missing. People are late or missing. An auror injured two death eaters, might’ve killed one. There’s a whole lot of people trying to kill people. Mad-Eye is killed by Voldemort. An old man (the wand maker) screams a horrible scream of unendurable agony. In a prior book someone was killed then turned into a bone and buried in a garden. There’s talk that a dead body might have been transfigured and stuffed. Harry inherits a sword (which he is not allowed to have). A wizard pokes someone with his wand leaving a scorch mark. A gnome bites someone. A relative of the Weasley’s once saw a grim and died 24 hours later. Hermione kicks Harry. There’s a dark wizard who killed Krum’s grandfather and many other people. The minister is killed. People are stupefied with magic. Ropes bind a man head to foot. A table is blown up. Someone receives a deep cut on the leg by accident. A house elf self-harms frequently. The minister was tortured before his death. The Cruciatus Curse was used on Tonks’s family. A wizard uses magic to slam another wizard into a wall. A man is hit over the head with a pan. A woman tries to shield her two children in her arms; there is a flash of green light (which is almost always the killing curse). Ron and Harry used to want to behead Kreacher and hang his head on the wall. A man’s eye is hung on a door as a trophy. There are dementors. People are told if they don’t cooperate and go to prison that they will lose their souls. Ron is covered in his own blood, he is missing chunks of flesh. Another man is tortured and finally killed. Some students are “punished cruelly.” Hauntings are mentioned. There’s talk of Harry’s parents bodies decomposing. Harry is bitten by a snake. Glass cuts his cheek. Harry and Hermione must leap from a window. The full story of the exact murder of Harry’s parents is told. We learn that Voldemort wanted to watch Harry die when he was a baby. A snake was inside a woman. The woman had been dead for some time. Harry nearly drowns, strangled. In a story, a wizard kills his enemy in a duel. Someone later slits his throat. In the same story a man kills himself to be with the girl he loved, who died and who he brought back to life. There’s a wand that people must kill the prior possessor in order to own. A man is tortured (I keep writing that don’t I). A man is told that people will see if they can spare him a bit of his daughter to bury. Tonk’s father is killed as are some people they traveled with. A muggle family of five was murdered. A werewolf considers eating Hermione. Ron is punched in the face and his mouth fills with blood. Hermione is tortured. A friend of Harry’s has a bruised and bloodied face. A goblin’s face is covered in welts. A witch threatens to run someone through with a knife. The Cruciatus Curse is used on Hermione. A man is forced to kill himself, strangling himself with his own hand. Another man is killed with the Killing Curse. A knife is held to Hermione’s throat and begins to cut it. A chandelier crashes on people, cutting them, leaving one with a bloody face. Dobby the house-elf is stabbed and dies. There is a funeral for him. Voldemort opens Dumbledore’s tomb and the wrappings of his dead body fall away. A goblin seems to relish pain caused to others. There are reminders of what a certain wand has done: kill Sirius, torture people. A man’s eye is covered by a bloody bandage. A dragon’s face has been sliced by swords. People are crushed and burned by treasure which has been protected from theft. Goblins are armed with daggers. People’s faces and arms are covered in angry red burns. A goblin is killed by Voldemort. Voldemort kills as many of his followers as he can in one angry outburst. A young girl is attacked by boys who got carried away. The girl went mad. She accidentally killed her mother. A girl is accidentally killed by someone close to her. A young man’s face is covered in gashes. A boy got beaten up for sharing the truth. Students are supposed to practice the Cruciatus curse on fellow students. A first year was chained up; the boy who rescued him was tortured badly. Death Eaters try to harm someone’s grandmother. Harry uses the Cruciatus curse. Spells are used to shoot dangers and fire at people. Professors may duel to kill. Gargoyles are killed. Rubble falls on Ron. A killing curse is aimed at Hermione. Crabbe is killed in a fire. The side of the castle is blown away. Harry is hit and bleed profusely. Fred Weasley is killed. Draco Malfoy gets punched in the face and bleeds. There is a giant fight (meaning giants fight each other). Voldemort kills Snape. Blood gushes from his wounds. The schools flagstones are stained with blood. A centaur is badly injured, his flank pouring blood. Remus and Tonks were killed in the battle, leaving their child orphaned. A girl is killed by a man who loved her. He then kills himself. A branch hit Harry’s aunt when she was a child. Dumbledore was subjected to a powerful curse. Dumbledore orders his own death, knowing that a more painful one is inevitable without action. Harry learns he will need to die in order to defeat Voldemort. Colin Creevey, a young student, is killed. Harry Potter is killed (except not really). Harry sees a crying flayed baby. The Cruciatus Curse is used on Harry while people cheer at his plight. Voldemort informs people that all who resist will be slaughtered along with their families. A flaming hat sits on Neville’s head, he is stuck in place, afire. Centaurs shoot arrows at the Death Eaters. Thestrals and a hippogriff attack giants. House elves brandish knives and cleavers. They stab Death Eaters. People are slammed into floors and walls and lose consciousness. Harry’s friends believe him to be dead. A snake is beheaded. Bodies are trampled by the crowd. Death Eaters pull arrows from their wounds. People watch duels, three people fighting Voldemort, Mrs. Weasley fighting Bellatrix. Voldemort continually says that Harry allowed people to die in order to save himself. Voldemort tells Harry that Dumbledore’s body decays in a tomb. Voldemort is killed by his own curse. More than 50 people died in the battle at Hogwarts.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Hagrid drinks a bottle of brandy in one gulp. Everyone, including teens, drinks firewhiskey. A wizard used to drink a whole bottle of firewhiskey at parties. People drink butterbeer. Champagne is served at a wedding. An uncle of Ron’s is drunk. A man smells of tobacco. A man lay wine-sodden upon his bed. People drink wine.
Frightening or Intense Things – People are afraid of disappearing and are afraid their children will be attacked. Hermione alters her parents memories so that they think they are an entirely different, childless couple. It is possible a girl was imprisoned in her family’s basement for not having magical abilities. The Ministry falls to the Death Eaters. There’s a grayish ghost/corpse type thing in Sirius’s old house. Harry, Ron and Hermione need to run for their lives (erm, multiple times). Harry fears his house elf will be tortured. Harry, Hermione and Ron frequently must go without food. There are traps. A friend of Harry’s is imprisoned. That friend’s father is also imprisoned. Ron, Harry and Hermione are captured. A werewolf repeatedly speculates about eating Hermione. A man pleads for information about his children. Dementors chase people. A man threatens harm to many students. A man spits in a beloved teacher’s face. A dangerous fire rages nearly killing people. Spiders attack. Harry spends some time contemplating the type of death he would have wished for himself. Harry is accompanied by dead loved ones on his final task. Hagrid is taken captive. Ginny is nearly killed with a killing curse.
