Rating: Needs Parent Supervision

Reading Level: Middle School, High School

There are many editions and versions of this exciting sci-fi saga; I chose to tackle the classic translated by Diana Wynne Jones and published by Puffin Books.

The language was at times old-fashioned, and it was often difficult to understand. The very first few paragraphs illustrates this quite well:

It is the language, not the content, that makes me wonder whether it is best for more mature readers, much the way Charles Dickens may be difficult for younger kids to parse.

Possible Concerns:

  • Age of the earth. Conservatives on the age of the earth won’t like references to millions of years, etc. As geology is the prime interest of main characters, much of the discipline’s thought is integrated throughout.
  • The role and nature of women. Progressives on the role of women won’t like references to “womanly weakness” when talking about tenderness or when thebadult niece wishes to go with her uncle on the adventure and says, “If only I were a man!”
  • Substance use. The uncle smokes
  • Racism. The author references exiles much “higher on the scale of humanity” than the eskimos, end of ch 6 in my version.
  • Eugenics. Lepers in an Icelandic colony are not allowed to marry because the belief is that they have a genetic condition.
  • Incest. The main character longs for his cousin, Gretchen, and ends up marrying her. To be fair, I believe this was somewhat common in earlier centuries, even Jacob married his cousins.

As for me, I’d be sure to have conversations about some of the more concerning points listed above, but a mature reader could probably handle the exposure/conversations well enough.

*Note: I toggled between reading the traditional English translation and listening to the audiobook by Blackstone Audiobooks, read by Frederick Davidson.