[Leona]

I actually had my father read me "The Hobbit" when I was about 7, so 10 is not too young. We began reading the FOTR, but never got very far. I kind of forgot about it, and saw the FOTR movie without even thinking about reading the books first. Amazingly, the entire movie made perfect sense, and so did the FOTR when I finally got around to reading it. But TTT was so much more complicated for me, I got it and everything, but it was just so much more complex. I think that seeing the movie helped me get a general idea of the direction of the story, so I could consentrate on some of the details that made the story so memorable. People say that seeing the movie ruines the experience, but from where I'm standing, you did the right thing by letting him see the movie before he reads the books. But, that is just my opinion, hope it helps.

Later,
Leona

P.S. Come to think of it, I'm still working on locating any other books on Middle Earth. I am not very determined, I should try harder.