Concerning & Potentially Concerning Content

For this genre (funny stories filled with goofy humor), this book is lighter on the concerns than most, but there are still a few things to know. The worst comes when the main character gives nicknames to a group of kids who are unkind to him and his friends (Gangly Fuzz Face, Pork Belly Pig Breath, Corned Beef Boy, Crazy Eyes Jemima and Frankenstein's Nephew). These names come up a handful of times in the book. While I am sure the author thought these would be funny, as Christians we are called to pray for our enemies and show kindness and love and this obviously doesn't fit. At the start of the book, the character is very unhappy about moving. Also at the start he and his brother squabble and call each other a couple names. There is a teacher who is shown as conceited and is unkind to anyone who doesn't have impressive super powers. He says thing like 'shut up', 'idiot', 'freak'. The nice thing is this is shown in a negative light. There are a few random statements that we wish weren't there: 'she is quite a fan of horror movies', 'now make the noise of a seal being run over by a combine harvester' (example of an absurd noise), 'pee on a hot BBQ (grill)' (example of an absurd smell), 'fell over like he had too many drinks at the Christmas party'. Finally, a few of the drawings are a bit odd, mainly of the villain. It may be worth flipping through the book from the library or looking at the images online to get an idea of the artwork.