Concerning & Potentially Concerning Content

The biggest concerning item to know about this book comes from the attempt to be funny. There are times when the setup for a joke or a series of jokes is something you wish they had simply skipped or handled a different way in a Christian title. For example, the main character is self-centered and overly focused on his looks and there are a whole series of lines we are supposed to smile over that stem from this… but why? Later Bible class is referenced as being extremely boring. We would expect this from a secular title, but why here? Again, it seems to be because the author wants to use it to bring a laugh. God is the source of our sense of humor and a book from a Christian author and publisher should be extra cautious that they don’t even come close to stepping over a line for a joke. Another example of this is in the sisters making little comments about how their brother is not very smart. Again, meant to be funny, but not something we want to portray as ok for a laugh in a Christian home. — In a similar light, while there is certainly a need for showing Christian families as not perfect and give chances for growth over the course of a book, everyone besides Mom and Dad (who unfortunately don’t play a huge role in the story) leave a lot to be desired throughout compared to what we would hope to see from Christian titles. The youngest girl is said to have learned to be cute to get what she wants. Two older girls want to impress a popular girl and her friends, who are not at all nice, seemingly just because they are considered cool. The author’s handling of these unkind girls is itself unkind, calling them clones, wannabes, etc. They do a lot for this, including trying to use their brother. For a long portion of the book one sister withholds forgiveness from her brother for a mistake. At one point the brother is said to have been sent home for bullying because of something he called someone (he does not seem sorry). One of the most recent adoptions, shown as new to the family, has a bad attitude for much of the book, but does start to turn near the end. There is a really unfortunate scene where the kids are shown being driven home by Dad and are on screens giving one-word answers. — There is a rich and famous man near the end of the book. When he gets in trouble he begins bartering with God. When he feels safe he starts to take things back… only to end up back in danger again. Eventually he is trapped outside in what is described as a “super skimpy swimsuit”. — The opening scene could scare certain children at first, as the girls think there is a burglar (turns out to be something else).