So we were searching around for a gift for my nine year old for his birthday, which was in September. At the time, everyone was buzzing about the Kindle Fire, and since my husband and I had already discussed a desire to get him a tablet device (but were balking at the price tag of the iPad) the Fire seemed like a perfect solution.

Not too expensive? Check.

I think we spent more on his DSi a couple years ago.  If something happened to it, I wouldn’t be hyperventilating the same way I would over an iPad.

Easy to use? Check.

If you’ve already got WiFi enabled, you can start using the Kindle in less than a minute upon opening the box as long as you have an Amazon account. I find the browsing and icons to be fairly intuitive, and my tech-crazy son finds it even easier.  The touch screen strikes a nice balance of sensitivity, and I’m so happy there is no stylus needed.

Nice to look at? Check.

The size is perfect to hold easily in your hand, and the screen resolution is fantastic. At least to my untrained eye.

Access to books, books, and more books? Check.

I am not kidding when I say that I have a hard time keeping up with my son’s reading habit. Buying new is expensive, although I do for series that I know he loves, such as all the Percy Jackson books. Our downfall is that we are horrible at getting books back to the library on time, and we tend to check out around thirty books at a time. Add all the late fees up for two weeks or so, and I figure I’m already ahead on the Kindle purchase. Our last late fee was around forty bucks. Ouch!

Decent battery life? Check.

We got about a ten hour charge out of it on first usage out of the box.

Android-based? Check.

Finally, I have seen what the Angry Birds craze is all about.

Access to the internet? Check.

This was not the main reason I bought the Fire over the other Amazon e-readers, but I figure it can’t hurt.  Right?  Trust me when I say my son will never be allowed to access the internet whenever he feels like it.   Supervision at all times!  As many filters as I can put in there!  Educational websites only! That being said, he needs to learn how to navigate the internet as a critical thinker, and this will help him do that. With me looking over his shoulder, of course.

We just got our Fire this afternoon, so maybe there are certain things I will hate about it in a week or so, but my first impression of it is extremely positive.

Overall, as a parent, I heartily recommend the Kindle Fire.

*I bought the Kindle Fire with my own moolah.  I was given absolutely no compensation for this review.  Although I certainly wouldn’t refuse a free app or two.