The Way of Kings - (PG-13)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

Weighing in at a whopping 1007 pages, this is not an undertaking for the novice fantasy reader. Nor is it a novel for children. Although the language is tame by usual adult fiction standards, there is enough violence to give your twelve-year-old nightmares.

Language - Mild

Sexuality - Mild

Violence - Moderate (to Heavy)

Adult Themes - Some

Although parts seemed to drag on, Sanderson generally does a great job of keeping the stakes high and the characters flawed (yet likeable). I'll definitely be looking for the second in the series. I still haven't figured out at what point I'll let my children read it, though.

The Way of Kings gets a (PG-13) rating for content.  

Three stars. 

The Star Ratings on this site are inversely based on amount of mature material found in the books. 

The less objectionable, the content, the more stars it earns.

Guest Post - The Book Thief - (PG-13)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

With the recent release of the movie, The Book Thief is receiving a lot of attention. Although I only made it halfway through, (not a huge fan of literary fiction) my blogger friend was awesome enough to share her review. Here is Dr. Bradford's review:

Language - Moderate

Sexuality - None

Violence - Mild

Adult Themes - Some

I avoided reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Whenever it came up, all I heard was “…a book set in Nazi Germany…” and I tuned out. Like most of the world, I want to forget such times of pain and suffering. Choosing to believe in a world where people are kind and loving, I shy away from the tales of ugliness and heartless humanity. However, I also understand that to forget is a disservice to those who suffered, died and survived. They deserve to be remembered, and in remembering we have a greater chance to prevent such atrocities from happening again. 

My book group chose this book for our February discussion, so I dutifully picked it up at the library and commenced reading. It only took three days, and I enjoyed it. All of it. The suffering, the pain and ugliness was there, but it took second seat to the love that filled the main character’s lives. Liesel, Rudy, Hans, Rosa, Max. I knew what was coming, but Zusak allows you to feel the little joys, hopes and small acts of kindness that allowed people to continue living. A snowman in a basement, accordion music, silver eyes, a boy with yellow hair, and the power of words. Yes, my heart was broken in the end, but I shared something larger than myself, and hopefully came away with a small piece of the hard learned lessons of those dark years. 

Although tyranny can force you to behave in certain ways to prolong your life or that of your loved ones, there are ways to stay true to the moral fibers that burn in your soul. Small acts of kindness often mean the most. When death finally comes, will you be one of the souls that sit up and come lightly because “more of [you] has already found [its] way to other places”?

Go HERE to see the rest of the review

 (including a clip of Mark Zusak)

The Book Thief gets an (PG-13) rating for content.  

Three stars. 

The Star Ratings on this site are inversely based on amount of mature material found in the books. 

The less objectionable, the content, the more stars it earns.

Thank our Guest Surgeon by following her blog
and checking out her very own books!

Charity Bradford
The Magic Wakes (WiDo Publishing, 2013)

Stellar Cloud: A Collection of Short Stories (September 2013)
Website-charitybradford.com
Blog-My Writing Journey
Facebook Page

The Warrior Heir - (PG-13)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

This is an older fantasy that my brother recommended. The profanity is mild, but what you have to watch out for is the violence. Several people die in brutal/bloody ways. Although you don't generally see it happen, he describes the blood and the mangled bodies ("nearly ripped in half" sort of thing.)

Overall, I found it interesting but couldn't relate to the I-don't-know-what-I-want-but-I-like-to-whine main character. The stats presented here are for the first half of the book. (I made it to 7 of 11 CDs before I gave up.) But unless there was a surprise sex scene at the end, this should give you an idea if you want your teens reading it.

Language - Mild

Sexuality - Mild

Violence - Moderate

Adult Themes - Some

The Warrior Heir gets a (PG-13) rating for content.  

Three stars. 

(The STAR RATINGS on this blog represent MATURE CONTENT only. The less objectionable content, the higher the rating.)

All Our Yesterdays - (PG-13)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

ALL OUR YESTERDAYS is a YA time-travel sci-fi that reads more like a YA mystery with a heavy romance angle. I started it in September, (before the blog) so I although went back and skimmed, I may have missed some of the content.

Language - Heavy

Sexuality - Moderate

Violence - Heavy

Adult Themes - Many

All Our Yesterdays is about a pair of kids that go four years into the past to murder someone destined to be a villain. It's an interesting moral dilemma and brings up thought-provoking issues. Unfortunately, the plot isn't quite as thought-provoking.

All Our Yesterdays gets a (PG-13) rating for content.  

Three stars. 

(The Star Ratings on this site are based solely on the amount of mature material. The less objectionable the content is, the higher the rating.)

ENDER'S GAME (PG-13)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG-13

With the movie opening Nov 1st, Ender's Game is the #1 selling book on Amazon. Although Orson Scott Card's breakthrough novel is relatively tame compared to other adult sci-fi, there are a few things parents should be aware of.

Language - Mild

Sexuality - Moderate

Violence - Moderate

Adult Themes - A Few

The first time I read this was in college. Card is a master storyteller if he can manage to keep his plot in a straight line. It's easy to fall in love with Ender and easy to see why this novel rocketed Card to fame and fortune. What's less easy to see is why an author so opposed to gay marriage fills his books with references to the male genitalia. This book is appropriate for most older teens. As for the rest in the series, they are less kid-friendly. Not because they have more adult content (although some do) but because the stories get more political, philosophical, and family-drama-esque.

Ender's Game gets a (PG-13) rating for content.  

Three stars.