Classics · The Neverending Story
The Neverending Story: what age is it for?
4 min read3 sources
Michael Ende's novel is about a boy who reads a book and finds himself inside it. Many parents know the 1984 film; the book is longer, stranger and goes much further.
Here's what age the Puffin edition gives, what the book asks of a child, and how it compares with the film.
In brief
- Reading age 9 to 12, according to the publisher's data for the Puffin edition of 2014.1
- 528 pages in that edition, in Ralph Manheim's translation.1
- Translated into more than 30 languages, and filmed in 1984.2
- Paper for long books. A meta-analysis found better comprehension on paper than on screen for information texts and under time pressure; for stories, no difference.3 With a book this long, many families still prefer paper.
What the book is about
Bastian, a lonely, bullied boy, steals a book from an old bookshop and hides in the school attic to read it. The book tells of Fantastica, a world that is disappearing, and a young hero, Atreyu, sent to save it. Slowly Bastian realises that the story is waiting for him.
The film tells roughly the first half. The second half, in which Bastian enters Fantastica, gets everything he wishes for and starts to lose himself, is the part many adult readers remember most.
At nine, and at twelve
At nine, together or in stages. The reading age starts at nine, but 528 pages is a long road. Reading it aloud in turns, a chapter each evening, helps a younger reader through.
At eleven or twelve, alone. The second half asks more of a reader: Bastian makes mistakes, forgets who he is, and has to find his way back. Older children follow that better.
Book or film first? If your child has seen the film, the book still holds surprises: half of it isn't in the film at all.
Frequently asked questions
What age is The Neverending Story for?
The publisher's data for the Puffin edition gives a reading age of 9 to 12. At nine, it works well read together; from eleven or twelve, most children can manage it alone.
How long is The Neverending Story?
The Puffin edition of 2014 has 528 pages.
Is the book different from the film?
Yes. The 1984 film tells roughly the first half. In the second half, Bastian enters Fantastica himself, and the book becomes more complex.
Who translated The Neverending Story into English?
Ralph Manheim, whose translation appeared in 1983 and is used in the current Puffin edition.
Sources
- 1.Amazon.co.uk, publisher's data for the Puffin edition: The Neverending Story.What it confirms: Reading age 9 to 12; Puffin, 2014, 528 pages; translated by Ralph Manheim.
- 2.Wikipedia: The Neverending Story.What it confirms: Translated into more than 30 languages; the film of 1984.
- 3.Delgado, Vargas, Ackerman and Salmerón (2018): Don't throw away your printed books, meta-analysis, Educational Research Review.What it confirms: Better comprehension on paper, especially under time pressure and for information texts; no difference for narrative texts; participants from primary school to adulthood.
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