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.

Another Guest Review - His Majesty's Dragon - (PG) - and My First Page

If you're interested in reading or critiquing the first page of my YA sci-fi novel, check out this blog contest:
Miss Snark's First Victim: January Secret Agent #4

Tomorrow marks the start of the Kickstarter campaign for my eBook editing app, but today I'm excited to post a review by a new Guest Surgeon.

Dr. Burdsal is Executive Editor and Co-founder of Wordshop Editing. Here's her SSG review of His Majesty's Dragon:

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG

His Majesty's Dragon is the first installment in the 9-book Temeraire Series.  The characters were well-rounded, and there are some unique and lovable aspects of the world (specifically the relationships between the captains and their dragons). The setting was excellent, complete with historic realism in dialogue.

Language - None

Sexuality - Mild

Violence - Mild

Adult Themes - A few

Since it is set in the British military during the Napoleonic Wars, some sections read like a war report. Discussions on battle can get a little heavy and hard to follow. This makes the book ill-suited to younger readers. 

Swearing in the book is limited to antiquated British slurs, like "blast." There is no explicit sexual content, but there are adult themes like illegitimacy, as well as some innuendo that leads to a relationship of "sleepovers." The author tastefully skips over any nighttime scenes.

His Majesty's Dragon gets a (PG) rating for content.  

Four 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.

Special Thanks to Dr. Burdsal for her review. You can follow her on Twitter or Goodreads.

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

Red Rising - (R)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - R

Set for publication at the end of January, Red Rising is a dystopian novel in the vein of Hunger Games. Although the advance reader copy (ARC) I received in exchange for a review may be subject to change, I've recorded all the material that readers (and parents) should be aware of. (And there is a lot.)

Language - Moderate

Sexuality - Moderate

Violence - Heavy

Adult Themes - Numerous

Red Rising tells the story of Darrow, a seventeen-year-old from a slave class that sets out to undertake his own brand of social reform. The result is bloody, disturbing, and strangely gripping. It's not to the level of horror, but more like a gritty war tale. Definitely not appropriate for younger teens. It makes Hunger Games seem like Saturday morning cartoons.

Red Rising gets an (R) rating for content.  

Two 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.

Blackmoore - (PG)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG

As a rule, I don't read romance novels. This one was recommended by my wife and for the most part I enjoyed it. Not sure if it's strictly YA romance. Although the main character is 17, she's dealing with love and marriage issues that make her seem much older. (Until the end when she turns into an irrational basket-case, but that's just my distaste for romance talking.)

Language - None

Sexuality - Mild

Violence - None

Adult Themes - A couple

Other than a little shirtless moment (him, not her) and some disrespecting of parents (they sorta deserve it) this is one romance you could read out loud to your grandma in church.

Blackmoore gets a (PG) rating for content.

Four stars
(Star ratings on this site are based solely on amount of mature content. The less objectionable the content, the more stars.)

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.)

Guest Post - Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food - (PG)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - PG

For our first guest post, I'm pleased to welcome Surgeon J. Brown. Her review of BERENSTAIN BEARS AND TOO MUCH JUNK FOOD reminds us that there are other things we need to watch out for in kid's books besides sex, violence, and language. Although Dr. Brown appreciates books that teach healthy eating habits, she points out how well-meaning adults (or authors) can inadvertently cause food issues, which can lead to complexes, low self-esteem, and eating disorders. Thank you, Dr. Brown, for sending in your review! We still need many more guest bloggers. There are a lot of books out there and only one (now two) of us. Email your reviews to storysurgeongeneral (at) gmail (dot) com!

Language - None

Sexuality - None

Violence - None

Adult Themes - One Big One

Surgeon J. Brown's Review:

Well, let me just start out by saying that I wish I could give this book 0 stars, and then burn it. I do not even know where to begin... I am just so very, VERY disappointed. 

The Berenstain Bears books have been more or less popular for a few decades. This fact is part of what troubles me so much. I've read some of the other Berenstain books recently to my children, and they've been ok, but when I found this little gem (sarcasm), I was stunned.

When I was in nutrition school, and even more so since then, I have come to realize how many food issues people have, and how many of those issues are surrounded by feelings of guilt. That guilt almost inevitably leads to compulsion, and from there the cycle continues.

I understand that Stan Berenstain was attempting to help children to make better food choices, but he did it in all the wrong ways. 

Example #1
This is what inspires Mama to put the kids on a diet.

So, basically Mama bear wants her kids to stop eating junk food because they're getting "chubbier", not because she cares about their health. 


Example #2

 Papa's snack habits had caught up with him so he splits his pants?

Again, with the body shaming! Am I advocating unhealthy eating? Of course not. The problem I have here is with the idea that skinny = healthy. Health comes in all different sizes and shapes. This book should have focused more on how if we treat our bodies with care, they will be able to do amazing things. We will be able to run faster, live longer, and feel great! Not just look good in our clothes, or fail to "split the seat of our overalls wide open". 

If you'd like to learn more about the damage of body shaming, you should check out Beauty Redefined.

Too Much Junk Food gets a (PG) rating for content.  

Four 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.)

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.)

Spotlight - Brandon Mull (Certified Safe Author)

Several years ago I picked up the first Fablehaven book at random from the library. The first half was okay, but near the end I found myself getting genuinely freaked out. Not that it was violent or disturbing, Brandon just did a great job making the story seem real. I decided to give the second book in the series a try and I'm glad I did. (It was much better than the first.) Thus began my like-alot-affair with Mr. Mull. I've read most of his books and there's nary a swear word to be found. Nor is there anything sexual. The only thing parents might need to watch out for is mild fantasy violence and kids disobeying their elders. The covers below each represent entire series, so if you find you like Brandon's style you'll have enough material to last you through adolescence. (Or your midlife crisis.)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - G

In general, the Fablehaven books get better as they go. (Although #2 will always be my favorite.) The Candy Shop Wars I enjoyed least, and I still haven't read the sequel. The first and second books in the Beyonders series were phenomenal (if you can overlook that stupid hippo) although by the third book, Brandon's horrible prose and meandering plotting was starting to get to me. The book still sits half finished in my locker at work.

Language - None

Sexuality - None

Violence - Mild

Adult Themes - A Few

I reiterate, the writing in these books is sub-par. Don't expect to be intellectually stimulated. Brandon does a whole lot of telling instead of showing and he loves him some adverbs. But if you're not a lit-snob like me, you shouldn't have any trouble losing yourself in the incredibly creative stories.

Brandon Mull's books get a blanket (G) rating for content.  

Five stars. 

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. 

REALITY BOY - (R)

SURGEON GENERAL RATING - R

Released earlier this week, REALITY BOY is being marketed as a contemporary YA/Adult crossover. Contemporary Young Adult means no magic, futuristic technology, or running for your life. Typically these novels move at a slower pace and center around buzz topics such as abuse, suicide, disability, sexual orientation, or terminal illness. (Usually with a side of romance/sexual coming-of-age.)

The term "crossover" means they're expecting the adults to enjoy this as much as teens, but in this case, it seems they're also using it as a license to fill this children's book with adult content. Although I only made it through the first third of the book, the stats I collected so far should give you an idea of whether you want to buy it for your teen.

Language - Extreme

Sexuality - Heavy

Violence - Heavy

Adult Themes - Numerous

Reality Boy is about a boy's struggle to overcome the emotional damage he received as a child TV reality star. For those that don't mind the coarse content (or lack of external plot), you'll probably fall in love with the characters. A.S. King writes well and with compassion. It's an important book as far as addressing mental disability and the necessary role of parents. I just wish she could have done it with a few less F-words.

Reality Boy gets an (R) rating (bordering on NC-17) for content.  

Two stars. 

(A copy of this book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for a review.)