Ok, with 500+ reviews for this books the odds are against anyone reading this one, and I know Amazon likes to put the most glowing ones on top; still, this is important. I am 19. I read this book an enjoyed it. It's brilliantly written. However, The Golden Compass is marketed as a children's book, and THIS IS A MISTAKE. Sure, a kid could read this, I'm not questioning that. But if you buy this for your 10 year old, they will want to read the two sequels, and they get progressively darker and less appropriate for children. Watch out! Children should be challenged, sure, but this isn't a question of being too _hard_. This series is dark, and there are very scary ideas in it. It disturbed me, and it disturbed my 29 year old sister, and we are not known to be wimps. So, like I said -- just be warned.