Rating: I like it BUT some families may not

Reading level: Mid-late Elementary, Middle School

This is a case where the award is well-deserved! I think 95% of families will have no problems with this book. Nevertheless, there are a few possible concerns.

Possible Concerns:

  • Deceit. Twice some or all the girls lie to cover up a mistake or not get into trouble.
  • Magic. There are a couple fleeting references to magic or something being magical.
  • Impropriety?. One of the girls wrestles with a boy alone in a house. Nothing comes of it but my dad always taught me to never be in a room alone with a boy and so the two of them alone wrestling & tickling just felt a bit inappropriate for old-fashioned me.
  • Romance. One of the girls struggles with a crush on a boy a bit older then her.
  • Sex outside of marriage. The antagonist at one point refers to a young woman “losing her innocence.” There are further comments that she ends up having a son, and and the father didn’t stick around much.
  • Costume. The four-year-old wears wings. I think that sort of thing is normal for kids, but I just sometimes think its weird when kids dress up like animals every day. Spoiler alert: she ends up giving them away in a valliant finale-type move, representing some growth & maturity.

This is just really good writing, so it is difficult to say whether the above potential issues should or should not outweigh the joy from reading it. Overall, I want my kids to experience great literature and the good outweighs these issues for me (as long as my kids don’t have trouble with lying).

That said, I have heard mixed and some bad reviews about some future books and I can’t comment on any sequels.