Concerning & Potentially Concerning Content

The biggest thing for Christian parents to know about this book is that it is heavy. The author keeps her audience in mind well, and it is moving and meaningful, but the subject matter is one not all kiddos will be ready for. This is an emotional story of an 11-year-old boy Hank who is growing up with a Mom that is a complete mess. To make things harder, this makes Hank the huge responsibility of caring for his 3-year-old sister Boo. The story opens to these two in a run-down apartment, nearly out of food, with mom AWOL. As the story progresses we find out that mom has been wrestling with addiction and that it was their sweet grandma that used to be the safety net that held things together, but she passed away a year ago. This book is such a great chance to see life through the eyes of someone else to grow compassion and grace… but only if your child is ready for it. Below are a few other items to be aware of: Hank focuses on mistakes he has made. At one point he imagines making a huge mistake and gives forgetting to hold Boo’s hand and her running out in front of a car as a potential example. Hank has been taught to be very polite on the outside, which is great, but we often read that inside he feels nothing like how he is acting. He occasionally lies to adults. There is some discussion around Hank kissing a sweet girl he likes. This is handled very well though. They visit a church looking for mom. A really nice lady there introduces herself as a pastor, but no other context is given. At one point Hank says Boo “smells like crap” (dirty diaper). The term “devil’s dancing shoes” is used (great context, referring to getting wrapped up in the sinfulness of this world, but some kids may not get it). Hank refers to one of his teachers as “droning on”. At his new school Hank says he is looking for the popular kids so he can avoid them (says “my peeps are the kids who don’t have phones and laptops and money for lunch”, although we see him misjudge a really nice girl right after this). We hear “Oh my God” used flippantly. The phrase “Let’s not get our panties in a wad” is used by an older lady, with its meaning explained. Hank doesn’t want to give a personal story in class so he writes on involving zombies. While understandable given the storyline, we are told Hank signs his mom’s name on a field trip permission slip. There are references to the following: Music - Queen, Dancing Queen. Books: Harry Potter, The Underworld Chronicles, Sideways Stories from Wayside School