The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion (Volume 1) by Beth Brower

Rating: Needs Parent Supervision

Reading Level: High School, Adults

Possible Concerns:

• Ghosts. a Roman centurion, who appears friendly thus far, haunts the town.
• Deaths of two parents. The teenager is an orphan with poor/careless stewards of her estate.
• Death of a soldier/romantic interest. He died serving in Afghanistan.
• Deceit. A young woman hired a man to pose as her cousin and be her escort for social gatherings past curfew.
• General disrespect for authority. The main character has a mind of her own, and is disrespectful to elders. Granted, they entirely deserve it. You can’t help but he happy for her sneaky exploits of snobby family members when it serves her, and so on.

Initially I thought it might be appropriate for middle school, but after reading book 2 I changed it to High School. Regardless of the age, if your kid is respectful and earnest, this could be an entertaining and delightful read. If your kid is snarky and disrespectful of authority, maybe wait until they’re older.