I think this book is more of an "adults" book, or at least a young adults. I first read it as a teen, but I was a big reader with high comprehension. I think it may be too hard for children to read on their own. There are A LOT of characters, genealogy lines, and "back stories", to follow. I'm not so sure that having it read to a child will make it any more interesting, although a very young child, believe it or not, might grab ahold. Also it would help the person reading to learn a little about fantasy characters like fairies, dwarves, wizards etc.