Language: 2

Violence: 3

Sexual Content: 1

Adult Themes: 3

Title:  The Phantom of the Opera

Author:  Gaston Leroux

Ratings Explanation:

Language:  A couple of common swear words.

Violence:  Eric has violent tendencies from living a life rejected by human kind.  He feels little compassion for other and does not hesitate to kill them if they stand in his way.  In his past, Eric learned methods of torture and killing which he uses on others in Paris.  He poisons some of the help who have witnessed him.  He constructs a torture chamber which gives the illusion of being trapped in a desert without water.  The only way out is a rope and and iron tree on which to hang oneself.  Guns are also used as protection against the Phantom.

Adult Themes:  Christine’s father dies when she is still young.  She misses him terribly.  The Phantom, Eric, was mistreated even by his own parents.  His mother made a mask for him to wear because she could not stand to look at him.  He spent most of his young life traveling to fairs to be on display.  He was eventually sold to royalty and allowed to fulfill every mad whim for amusement.  He was also used as an assassin.  Because of his incredible talent for building, Eric was also used to  build palaces with secret entrances and passages.  This also put his life in jeopardy because the owner did not want anyone to know of the building’s secrets or of the builders talents.  He was ordered to be killed but saved by a Persian.  In the end he escaped to Paris.  Unfortunately, he had already developed a strong hatred toward the human race for their inhumane treatment of him throughout the years.

Synopsis

The Paris Opera House is rumored to be haunted by a ghostly phantom with the head of a dead man.  The new managers are determined to dispel this rumor and get on with business as usual.  Unfortunately, the Phantom has other plans.  He has fallen in love with the young Christine Daee, the daughter of a great violinist and an up and coming singer in the Opera’s chorus.   Before he died, Christine’s father promised to send her the Angel of Music, who would teach her the great secrets of music.  When she hears the Phantom’s voice in her dressing room one night, Christine believes the Phantom to be the Angel of Music that her father has sent.  The Phantom promises to teach her.  Christine listens to his guidance and greatly improves her voice.  One night the Phantom provides an opportunity for Christine to sing a solo.   She brings the house down with her spectacular performance.  Ironically an old childhood friend, Raoul, is also at that performance.  When he sees Christine, he is charmed by her beauty and flooded with happy images from the past.  Raoul is determined to make her acquaintance again.  The Phantom is very protective of Christine and discourages her from seeing Raoul.  Raoul however is not so easily deterred.  He continues his attempts to be with Christine.  One night he hears a strange voice in her dressing room, after which she quickly leaves and walks past Raoul standing in the doorway.  Raoul enters the dressing room and finds no one.  He is intrigued by this stranger that is turning Christine into only a shell of what she once was.   Raoul finally triumphs.  Christine allows him to see her but,  only at the Opera House.  They run up to the tallest tower and there she tells him of the Phantom named Eric.  Raoul is very concerned for her safety and begs her to escape with him.  Christine tells Raoul she wishes for nothing more but must wait until after one last performance.  She explains that the Phantom has taken her to his lair under the Opera House.  In curiosity she removed his mask.  In anger, the Phantom made Christine promise to marry him.   He has allowed her this one last outing and performance before he takes her underground with him forever.  Raoul is surprised to find some compassion in Christine towards this madman and demands that she leave with him instantly.   Christine refuses saying she must complete this last performance first.  Raoul reluctantly allows her to do so.  During the entire performance, he closely watches his love and waits for their planned escape.  The Phantom has heard of the young lovers plan and takes Christine during the performance.  Mad with worry, Raoul runs to the managers looking for help.  There he finds a Persian who claims he can help him find his lost love.  The Persian knew the Phantom, Eric, before he came to live at the Opera House.  Raoul accepts his offer and follows him through the dangerous depths of the Opera House.    After many encounters with the Phantom’s ingenious traps, the young lovers are  brought together again.  In the end,  the Persian is left to tell the sad ending of the Phantom’s life.  The musical genius, who was despised by all of humanity for his deformed face, was finally shown love and acceptance by a young girl and then allows her to leave.  Eric feels some relief from his life’s curse and dies alone.

I have loved the music and have seen the movie but never read the book.  Although the story line was familiar, I had no idea that the author, well known for his mysteries, wrote this as a real life mystery.  Apparently the falling chandelier really did happen, injuring several spectators and killing one.  This intrigued Leroux who obtained plans for the Opera House which revealed secret chambers and even an underground lake.  The story was not a big hit in Leroux’s day.  Wouldn’t he be surprised to see what has become of his story today!  I really enjoyed his point of view as an inspector looking at the case from the different angles of the characters as he collected interviews and testimony on the Phantom.  A definite classic.

Language: 5

Violence: 1

Sexual Content: 5

Adult Themes: 5

Title: The DUFF

Author: Kody Keplinger

*This review refers to an Advanced Reader’s Copy. The DUFF will be available September 7, 2010.

Ratings Explanation

Language: VERY frequent use of a wide variety of expletives and crude language. Over 50 uses of the “F-word”. Religious exclamations throughout.

Violence: While drunk, Bianca’s father hits her. Wesley punches her father before he can hit her again.

Sexual Content: Sexually explicit language throughout. Bianca and Wesley engage in a sexual relationship. Numerous and graphic descriptions of their sexual encounters. Bianca was 14 when she lost her virginity. She makes out with another boy, they take their clothes off but are interrupted.

Adult Themes: Bianca’s parents are estranged and Bianca feels like she has to play the role of parent. When her mother sends her father divorce papers, he begins drinking again after 18 years of sobriety. Bianca and Wesley have a very intense sexual relationship at a young age. She feels dirty sleeping with him because she hates him, but continues to do it as a distraction from her problems at home. Parents seem to be completely unaware of teens’ promiscuity. Another high school girl has a pregnancy scare.

Synopsis

“… you, darling, are the duff.”

“Is that even a word?”

“Designated. Ugly. Fat. Friend. No offense, but that would be you.”

Wesley Rush, 17-year-old womanizer, tells Bianca Piper, 17-year-old cynic, that by socializing with the least attractive girl in a group,otherwise known as “the duff”, he doubles his chances of hooking up with the “hot” ones later.

This is the first of several heated exchanges between Bianca and Wesley which eventually lead them into a relationship neither of them expected. Bianca is struggling with her parents and the fallout from their imminent divorce. Wesley seems to have everything in the world, but lacks what he wants most.

Their illicit romance is like a drug for Bianca, numbing her from the escalating difficulties pressing in on her. When Bianca starts to feel something besides loathing for Wesley, she knows she has to put an end to the relationship, even though she has actually started to enjoy the conversations they have. Is it possible that she could actually be falling for Wesley?

On the back of The DUFF advanced reading copy it states “Ages 15 & up”. I have some real concerns about this book being marketed to such a young age group, based on the ratings explanation above.

Bianca uses her sexual relationship as a temporary escape from her family issues. This extremely poor coping mechanism could potentially cause an entirely new set of weighty problems for her. The abundant sexual language and references are not confined to Bianca’s and Wesley’s liaison, they permeate the conversations and commentary throughout the book.

Besides the extreme nature of the content, The Duff was not a particularly engaging story for me. Kody Keplinger does tackle the issue of teenage self-esteem, an important topic without a doubt, but her particular avenue to do so was unappealing to me. By the end of the book, Bianca figures out that looks are not the most important thing, but she’s a pretty smart girl and  really knew that all along. I like her observation near the end of the book.

“I was the Duff. And that was a good thing. Because anyone who doesn’t feel like the Duff must not have friends. Every girl feels unattractive sometimes. Why had it taken me so long to figure that out? Why had I been stressing over that dumb word for so long when it was so simple? I should be proud to be the Duff. Proud to have great friends who, in their minds, were my Duffs.”

As an 18-year-old writer, it seems that Kody Keplinger could have benefited from  more guidance in matching the content with the intended audience. I am sure that this edgy, raw teenage emotion was instrumental in getting her book published, it is unfortunate, however, that the publisher didn’t exercise more discretion in choosing to represent this book as Young Adult.

I cannot recommend this book for anyone, but if you must read it, be forewarned that the content is extreme, particularly for a YA novel.

Language: 3

Violence: 3

Sexual Content: 4

Adult Themes: 2

Title: Infinite Days (Vampire Queen, Book 1)

Author: Rebecca Maizel

Ratings Explanation

Language: Around 15 instances of swearing plus several uses of “slut” and “whore”. Another handful of exclamations referring to deity.

Violence: Rhode teaches Lenah about her new desire to kill once she becomes a vampire; he teaches her how to sink her teeth precisely. It is stated that Lenah, during her nearly 600 years as a vampire, killed thousands of people. There are only a couple of individual murders that are described, and they are not graphic. Murder briefly relieves the emotional pain of a vampire. She kills a couple while at the opera and rests her feet on them for 2 acts.  A room full of vampires descends on one innocent victim. Lenah’s coven had no need to feed because they had decimated a boarding house the night before. It is stated that Lenah murdered a young child for its pure blood. Vampires murder a young man leaving bite marks all over him and letting him slowly bleed to death.

Sexual Content:  Before Rhode makes 15-year-old Lenah a vampire, he runs his finger between her breasts down to her belly button. She is wearing a see through nightgown and he presses her to him. As a vampire, Lenah and Rhode were “lovers” sometimes. As a human teenager in present-day, a girl calls Lenah a “slut”. Lenah laughs, realizing that she has never even had human sex. A teenage art student states that he can stare at girls’ boobs and pretend it’s for art. There is a poster for safe sex. While Lenah is wearing a bathing suit, Justin’s eyes travel up and down her body. He runs his hand along her body from shoulder to thigh. School friends see Lenah and Justin come out of her room and assume they have been together. While visiting his family, Lenah and Justin are on her bed with their clothes on, but his hands are all over her, trying to unbutton her jeans. She lets him see her for just a few seconds in her bra and underwear. A group of teenagers goes to a club called “Lust” decorated with enormous paintings depicting couples in “moments of passion”. The people dancing are pressed tightly together, pumping and thrusting, and they look like they are “making love”. Three descriptions of very deep kissing involving tongues, moaning, and lots of touching. Lenah invites Justin up to her room; he closes the bedroom door and as the next chapter starts, they wake up in bed together.

Adult Themes: A casual tone used to describe Lenah’s former life as a murderous vampire. Sometimes she kills people just because she is bored. All vampires have a lust for tragedy, tears, blood and murder. A group of teenagers use fake IDs to sneak into a club. Justin, a high school student, gets very drunk.

Synopsis

In 1418 Lenah Beaudonte was an innocent 15-year-old girl living with her family in England, but  for nearly 600 years, she has been one of the most lethal and blood thirsty vampires in Europe. She is the ruling queen of a magically bound coven of vicious vampires, but like all of the un-dead, she longs to be human again. She wants to feel sand beneath her toes, let sunshine pour through her window and smell the air. She wants to live the life that was taken from her.

After sleeping for 100 years and executing an ancient ritual, Lenah wakes up as a 16-year-old girl in modern-day Massachusetts, enrolled in an expensive private school. Rhode, her soul mate, best friend and creator discovered the ritual, but it cost his life. Now Lenah goes about adjusting to the 21st century, attempting to live the life Rhode envisioned for her and for which he sacrificed his existence. Experiencing life, emotions and sensations again is exhilarating and when Lenah meets Justin, he makes her feel more alive than she ever thought possible. But the magic that binds her to her coven is not broken with Lenah’s transformation. She feels the coven on the move, searching for their queen. Can she outwit them and save herself and her new friends? Or will they find her and wreak their revenge?

When we attended the Book Expo of America in May, 2010, Infinite Days was presented by the young adult editor at St. Martin’s Griffin as their best YA selection coming out this fall. It is billed as “edgy” and “sizzling” and it lives up to both labels.

The best quote of the book came from Rhode, “Do not be surprised by your greatness, Lenah Beaudonte. Be surprised that no one expected it.” I was pleased with Lenah’s transformation and her ability to regain her humanity after centuries of blood lust. The twist on the classic vampire tale caught my interest and the story is compelling, but I am concerned with the amount of sexual content when it is marketed as a young adult novel. The YA category is problematic because it generally encompasses ages 14-25. There is, obviously, a huge difference in maturity and experience between a 14-year-old and a 25-year-old. I would not recommend this book for any reader under the age of 18.

Infinite Days is the first in a series entitled “Vampire Queen”.

Language-2.5

Violence-2

Sexual Content-1

Adult Themes- 1

Title: Catherine and the Pirate
Author: Karen Hawkins

Ratings Explanation

Language: Hell and damn in various forms and phrases are used. The word bastard is also used.

Violence:  There is a fight between two ships. Cannons are shot, people die. There is hand to hand combat with swords and fists. People are taken prisoner. Catherine’s brother is being held hostage. They try to rescue him. Someone is shot and dies. A dog attacks a person.

Sexual Content: Catherine thinks of how she wants to be kissed and feel his lips on hers. There are a couple kisses.

Adult Themes:  Catherine’s brother is drugged while he is held hostage. Bribery, betrayal, treason and piracy are main themes in this book.

Synopsis

Catherine comes from a wealthy, prominent family in Boston. When her parents die, she is left to run her family home while her brother runs the family shipping business. Catherine learns that her brother has been captured and is being held for ransom. She decides that she will try to rescue him. Derrick St. John is the man Catherine goes to for help. Derrick has spent his life at sea, and now captains his own ship. Together they embark on a quest that leads them through many adventures and ultimately to love.

This was a teen romance book in every sense. I read through it quickly. It was predictable but sweet. As is always my opinion, I think the book would have been better without the language referred to above. I picked this book up with my 12 year old daughter in mind, trying to find a new series of books for her to read. The language will be the reason I do not pass this book on to her.

Language:  1

Violence:  2

Adult Themes:  2

Sexual Content:  2

Title:  The Hourglass Door

Author:  Lisa Mangum

Ratings Explanation

Language:  The words “hell” (“Go to hell”) and “hellish” used only a few times.  “Damnation” used once in a poem.

Violence:  Zo slashes Dante across his arm with a switchblade; blood soaks his shirt.  Abby slaps Zo as hard as she can; he gets very physically aggressive but doesn’t hurt her.  A few intense fight-like scenes by the riverbank. 

Adult Themes:  The rock band Zero Hour intentionally projects the same effect on its audience as drugs would; people experience emotional highs, lows, and hangovers from its intensity.  Dante and the band members are all accused or convicted war criminals from 16th century Italy.  At the Dungeon, a teenage hangout, the owner Leo gives Abby a drink concocted of mysterious ingredients that have a profound effect on her mind and psyche. 

Sexual Content:  Nothing beyond a kiss, however, Dante and Abby exchange many and they are described in intimate (albeit cliche) detail:  “…he kissed me,  his lips at once hard and fierce and yet still gentle and insistent.”  “I could taste the softness of his lips. . . I ran my fingers through the curls at the nape of his neck into his hair at the same time he slid his hands down to lock at the small of my back.  His fingers left tracks of heat in their wake.”  etc.  A lot of that going on.  In the scene where Dante is slashed, he removes his shirt in front of Abby, and she “drank in the sight of his long, lean body.”

Synopsis

Abby Edmunds seems to have the quaint, perfect life going on:  good family, good grades, nice boyfriend who lives next door, but it’s all a little bit too predictable for her.  Then one day, a mysterious, tall, dark, and exotically handsome exchange student from Italy walks into her life.  Meet Dante Alexander, who seems to be the polar opposite of her boyfriend, Jason.  He is spontaneous and charismatic and speaks with an accent, and Abby can’t help feeling attracted to him.  Time literally seems to stop when she is with him.  But Dante is hiding some dark secret, and Abby is willing to risk the status quo to find out what it is:  that Dante is actually an exiled prisoner from 16th century Italy who apprenticed with Leonardo da Vinci.  Under da Vinci’s tutelage, Dante learned the secret to the most dangerous thing da Vinci [supposedly] ever invented, a time machine through which the Italian government sent war criminals into the future to be punished.  Now Dante, who was wrongly convicted, is living in 2009 and trying to stop three other Italian thugs, members of a rock band named Zero Hour, from finding a way back through the time-space continuum and changing history.  But he is also inlove with Abby, who happens to hold the key to unlocking the Hourglass Door back through time.

The storyline here is a familiar one: boy meets girl, boy is hiding some unfathomable secret, girl unlocks secret, girl can’t help falling inlove and risking everything to help boy overcome his demons (real or otherwise).  Yet even with such a familiar premise, Ms. Mangum’s first book is intriguing enough to keep the reader turning the pages and ending on a cliffhanger note, tempting you with the sequel.  The romance hovers dangerously close to the cheese factor, however, for me.  By book’s end I had had more than my fair share of intertwining fingers and lips and penetrating gazes.   The Hourglass Door is part one in a three-part trilogy (book two, The Golden Spiral, was released in May 2010). 

Language: 0

Violence:2

Sexual Content: 2

Adult Themes: 2

Title:  Matched

Author:  Ally Condie

*This review refers to an advanced copy.  Matched will be available for purchase November 30, 2010.

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  The townspeople themselves experience no violence in their society.  They do watch a film which shows a person being shot. Blood stains his shirt and he falls to the ground.  This is so surreal to the audience that they laugh.  Cassia hears stories of poisoned rain and rivers which kill people.  She also learns of Ky’s past from pictures he has drawn showing him holding the words “mother” and “father” in his arms shaped like drooping dead bodies.  Pictures of the officials in these drawings show red hands representing their responsibility in what has happened.

Sexual Content:  Cassia remembers  playing kissing games as a young child.  She is relieved to know her match so that she can finally think of him with more romantic thoughts.  Xander and Cassia kiss after a recreational activity.  Cassia describes the feeling as “sweet”.  She and Xander hold hands and hug.  Cassia begins to have feelings for Ky after she has been matched to Xander.  She and Ky find opportunities to hold hands.  Cassia has a strong desire to kiss Ky but knows what it will do to Xander and her family.  Cassia finally gives in and kisses Ky.  It is all that she had hoped.  As part of Society rules, the optimal age for citizens to conceive, resulting in healthy offspring, is discussed.

Adult themes:  Cassia lives in a society where the government makes all of the hard decisions and leaves their citizens with few opportunities to make choices of their own.  This appears safe at first, but through major life changing experiences, Cassia begins to doubt the Society’s rules. One of these was the mandatory death of her grandfather, at which she was present.  Cassia is provided with many opportunities to succeed in her society but chooses to go against them.

Synopsis

Cassia has always trusted the Society.  They are never wrong.  They choose what you eat, what you wear, who you marry and when you die.  Life has been better for everyone since the Society has been in control.  Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she will attend her Match Banquet to find out who she will marry.  When her best friend Xander’s picture shows up on the screen she is surprised and relieved.  It is uncommon for a person to know who their match is, but she has known Xander her whole life and loves him dearly.  When Cassia gets home and puts in the computer chip to view background information on her match, a strange thing happens.  Xander’s picture comes up and then the screen goes black.  For a split second another face shows up on the screen.  Even stranger, is that it is a picture of another person she knows, Ky.  Cassia is puzzled.  How could this happen?  Was she really supposed to be matched with Xander? Throughout the summer Cassia finds opportunities to be with Ky and learns that he has come from the outer province areas where he lost his parents.  He also knows how to write something that has not been taught for generations.  Cassia asks him to teach her.  This is stepping on shaky ground and could get them both into serious trouble.  As Cassia spends more time with Ky she wonders why there is so little creating and ability to make choices in their world.  She begins to question all that the Society does to ensure happy productive lives for it’s citizens.  Cassia must now decide between the safety of being with Xander, whom she has always loved, or Ky who helps her to feel alive, real and free.  It is a decision that will change their world.

This is a must read.  Not only is Matched a touching love story, but it examines the very basis of what makes us happy and gives us purpose.  It will leave you thinking and grateful for all you have and all that you can be.

Language: 3

Sexual Content: 4

Violence: 4

Adult Themes: 3

Title: The Last Song
#1 New York Times Bestseller

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Ratings Explanation

Language: “Hell”,  “Whatever”?  It’s just a code word for the f-word, follow by “you”.

Sexual Content: Reference to PMS – “Pissed-at-Men-Syndrome”.  Sexual Innuendo.  The male volleyball players were “eye candy”.  Ashley, the bikini clad blond, zeroes in on Will.  Ronnie is attracted to Will.  ”Marcus walked over to Blaze and folded her into a long, lingering kiss that seemed wildly inappropriate in public.”   Blaze nibbles on Marcus’ neck, he ignores that.  ”He was sick of the way she (Blaze) always hung on him whenever they were out in public.  Sick of her in general.  If she weren’t so good in bed, if she didn’t know the things that really turned him on, he would have dumped her a month ago for one of the three of four or five other girls he regularly slept with.”  Marcus has his eye on Ronnie, she was “sort of upscale, trampy style”.   Marcus admired “that dynamite little body.”  Ronnie takes a quick peek at Marcus and he wonders what she’d be like in bed.  ”Probably wild, most of them were with the right kind of encouragement.”   Will’s ex-girlfriend, Ashley suggests that Will join Scott and Cassie at her house, since her parents were in Raleigh.  Scott tries to persuade Will to go to Ashley’s house, to “Free Willy”.  Scott suggests just hooking up with Ashley.  Marcus suggests that Blaze was telling Ronnie about her mother’s sexy boyfriend and their late night trapeze acts.  Lance’s job at the motel is to clean the sheets after the noontime crowd rolls through.  Ronnie wants to sleep outside by the turtle egg’s nest, with Will.  However, she knows her father will object.  Will and Ronnie kiss, multiple times.   Marcus is drunk.  ”He’d have Blaze first and then maybe a couple of others after that, if he got Blaze ripped enough to pass out.  Or maybe he’d hook up with some dumb little hottie, even if Blaze was sober enough to realize what was happening.”  Hot and heavy make-out session.  Ronnie says they’ve got to stop.  Ronnie loves Will,  ”She wanted her first time to mean something, to happen with someone she cared deeply about.”

Violence: “Illegal Fireworks Suspected in Church Blaze – Pastor Injured”,  Ronnie’s friend Kayla is “Date Raped”.  GHB was slipped into her drink, and she vaguely recalls being in a room with three guys, she had just met.  Three rough guys, and one girl, Blaze, play with fire.  Marcus knew that the worse he treated girls, the more they wanted him.  Marcus throws a fireball at Ronnie to see how far he can push her.  Marcus set a boat on fire and watched it burn.  Teddy and Lance stole booze, and beat a bald guy unconscious at the airport before taking his wallet.  They also painted swastikas on the synagogue.  Marcus wants violence.  Blaze sprays roundup on Mrs. Banderson’s flowers, which slowly kills them.   One of Blaze’s mom’s boyfriends sneaked into Blaze’s room at night.  Marcus follows Ronnie.  Ronnie realized that there is a difference between a psychopath and a sociopath.  She thinks Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs, has a lot in common with Marcus.  Ronnie threatens Ashley, “I’m going to punch those bleached teeth right out of  your mouth.  Got it?”  Blaze’s shirt catches fire at one of their “shows” on the boardwalk.

Adult Themes: Ronnie is arrested twice for shoplifting.  A reference to the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin’s death.  According to Ronnie, her father, Steve, walked out on their family.  According to her mother, Ronnie would rather spend her time hanging out in clubs. “Steve believes he is a failure.  He is forty-eight years old.  His marriage had ended, and his son was growing up without him.”  Ronnie has the usual signs of teenage rebellion, purple streaks in her hair, and black fingernail polish.  Kim, Ronnie’s mother rants, “You could have come back to New York again.  You didn’t have to travel around the country, you didn’t have to move here…you could have stayed part of their lives.”   Infidelity, Kim cheated on Steve.  Reference to Ronni’s mom almost blowing a gasket when Ronnie lied about where she was going and traveled from New York to Philadelphia with Rick, a rough guy, who had a tattoo of a spiderweb on his neck and more piercings in his ears than her friend, Kayla.  Ronnie dumps Rick, when she realizes that if she continues to see him, he will pressure her to take whatever drugs he is taking.  Some of Ronnie’s friends smoke pot, a few have done cocaine, ecstasy, or even meth.  Blaze explains that her Dad lives with his girlfriend, his third since the divorce.  The girlfriend is only a few years older than Blaze, and she is a stripper.  Blaze’s mother has a boyfriend, and he is a loser.  Beer drinking.  Blaze is kicked out of her mother’s home, and she asks Ronnie for food money.  When Steve’s father died, Steve told him he loved him, and his response was, ” You sound like a woman when you talk like that.”  Marcus was bad news for Blaze, and for Ronnie.  Ronnie stereotypes southerner’s as “wearing NASCAR hat and chewing tobacco.”  Steve’s face is covered with blood. He has stomach cancer.

Summary

Ronnie, a nearly eighteen year old girl, is sent to North Carolina with her younger brother to spend the summer with her estranged father.  She has not communicated with her father, Steve, since her parents’ divorce.  She believes her father walked out on the family.  Ronnie rejects her father’s attempts to befriend her, and threatens to return to New York.  She immediately befriends a rough crowd of friends. She then falls for Will Blakelee, a privileged local boy.  Ronnie experiences her first “summer romance”.  When everything seems perfect, she realizes that her father has been given a death sentence –stomach cancer.  Ronnie spends the fall caring for him until his death.

I was disappointed with the overt sexuality and violence that consumed the first half of book.   However, the latter half redeemed the trashy portion and  I loved the beautiful story of the father/daughter relationship.

©2010 The Literate Mother

Language: 1

Violence: 2

Sexual Content: 2

Adult Themes: 1

Title:  Once Upon a Marigold

Author: Jean Ferris

Ratings Explanation

Language: The name of deity used. Name calling.

Violence: Some fighting with arrows and swords. Queen is forced off balcony and falls to the river far below. Queen threatens to kill her daughter and the king to gain power. The queen poisons the king to gain control over him.

Sexual Content: A scullery maid forces a kiss upon Christian. Babies born out of wedlock.

Adult Themes: Desire to rule a kingdom no matter the cost to family and others.  Dysfunctional family relationships.

Synopsis

Christian is adopted by a troll, Edric, who lives in a crystal lined cave in a forest. The young boy grows up learning the ways of troll life and inventing contraptions from things left behind on the forest road. One of these contraptions is a telescope with which Christian enjoys watching the inhabitants of the castle across the river. As he grows older, Christian becomes more unsettled and wants to see and be a part of the outside world. With Edric’s permission, he leaves the cave hoping to find a job at the castle.  Christian finds a job helping the castle housekeeper. This presents him with the opportunity of getting to know the young princess he has seen for years only through a lens.  He finds Princess Marigold quite enchanting. She loves the simple things in life like reading, telling awful jokes, and playing with her dogs. She is very lonely however, because of a curse put upon her at birth. Marigold can read the thoughts of anyone that touches her. No one dares to touch her and rarely even talks to her. Christian is not afraid of this and finds Marigold fascinating,  simple and charming. Unfortunately, the queen wants Marigold married so that she can take over the kingdom. Christian struggles with his emotions as he watches his new love being courted by neighboring royalty. Things get exciting when Marigold’s forthcoming marriage is announced. Christian finds himself in jail, Marigold’s sisters are locked up and the king is being poisoned. Christian must prove he is not a traitor, rid the kingdom of their evil queen, find a way to save his true love and live happily ever after.

This was your predictable fairy tale with many quirky twists and turns to keep you guessing how the heroes would ever manage to live happily ever after. Christian even manages to re-invent royal life by introducing p-mail, vegetarianism, and one ear piercing.

Language: 1

Violence: 1

Sexual Content: 1

Adult Themes: 1

Title: Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

Author: Robin McKinley, Newbery Honor Author

Ratings Explanation

Language: This may not even rate for some but, the word “damning” used as a verb in the following sentence:”To a certain extent this was damning me with faint praise…”

Violence: Talk of desire to kill the magician that cast the spell.

Sexual Content: Beauty’s sister is advised to get married and start a baby. Beauty is kissed by a boy at a dance.

Adult Content: Beauty’s sister loses her fiance in a shipwreck. Beauty is offered ale by the villagers that she has helped. Parents threaten their children with stories of monsters taking them away if they are not obedient.

Synopsis

Beauty’s wealthy family has come to financial ruin after her father’s ships are destroyed by disease and storm.  A shipyard worker offers the family a home with him back in his native village.  The desperate yet grateful family accepts the offer despite rumors of magic being practiced in the area.  The family adjusts to their new country life and do quite well for themselves until their father’s fateful journey.  After being lost in a snow storm, Beauty’s father stumbles across an enchanted castle in the nearby woods.  The invisible servants care for his every need.  After resting, he prepares to finish his journey home.  On his way out of the gates he notices a most beautiful rose garden and decides to pick one for Beauty.  This enrages the castle’s owner, a beast who up until now has remained unseen.  He accuses the father of being ungrateful and demands that either he or one of his daughters returns within the month to stay with him forever as payment.  Upon returning home, Beauty’s father tells his story to his daughters.  Beauty insists that she will be the one to return.  After an emotional debate upon the matter, Beauty gets her way.  The rest of the story is fairy tale history as Beauty and the Beast discover real love in each other and live happily ever after.

One of my all time favorite books!  I read it as a young girl and twice as an adult.  McKinley’s words are beautifully enchanting and  quickly bring you into this fairy tale world.  I only wish that the ending wasn’t so quick. McKinley has written a sequel to this book called Rose Daughter which I haven’t read yet.

Language:  3.5

Violence:  2

Sexual Content:  4

Adult Themes:  3

Title:  Beastly

Author:  Alex Flinn

Ratings Explanation

Language:  A few instances of profanity; just about every other swear word but the f-word used at least once.  Other crass language (skank, piss, slut).   The bad language does not permeate the book, but is enough to give literate mothers pause.

Violence:  The beast attacks the witch after she transforms him; he has a temper and lashes out at people and breaks things.  He watches (through a magic mirror) a father physically and emotionally abuse his daughter.  The beast breaks a girl’s arm at a dance.  He is attacked by subway passengers and lashes out at them.  A man threatens and points a gun at the girl he loves and the beast attacks him to save her.

Sexual Content:  Kyle, the main character, says that school proms are a form of “legalized prostitution.”  Kyle uses crass talk when referring to situations between him and his girlfriend, i.e. “…in return, I get some,” school dance chaperones “keep us from mating on the dance floor,”  her hand on him was headed “toward the Danger Zone,”  ”going for the crotch again,” someone suggests a “threesome.”  Kyle watches naked girls through his magic mirror.  When searching for a girl online to break the spell, pay sex sites pop up and women send him naked pictures.  He overhears guys at the dance talking about “what they had in their pockets and who they’d use them on.”  He imagines “tangling [Lindy's] body with his.”

Adult Themes:  Kyle’s mother left his father to run off with another man.  Kyle and his girlfriend drink vodka at her parent’s house after the dance.  Rape is discussed very briefly, and castration as punishment.  Lindy’s druggie father abuses her; her “slut” sisters had run off to live with their boyfriends.  Kyle discusses a gay writer (Oscar Wilde) with his tutor.   A drug dealer breaks into Kyle’s house and offers him drugs.  In the end of the book, it is mentioned that Lindy has moved in with Kyle to get away from her drug-addicted father.  (She has a separate bedroom, but both Lindy and Kyle are still in high school.)

Synopsis

Kyle Kingsbury, a Manhattan freshman at an elite prep school, describes himself as the guy with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life, “The guy you wished you were.”  He treats everyone badly and laughs about it, having no sympathy for anyone less endowed than him in either looks or money.  That is, until the day a Gothic-looking girl at his school casts a horrible spell on him and turns him into a beast (sound familiar?).  Now he has two years to find someone he can love and who loves him in return for who he is–the classic spell-breaking love in fairy tales.  So Kyle’s dad moves him out of their Manhattan apartment and into a Brooklyn brownstone where he holes himself up with nothing but books, the internet, and the magic mirror the witch gave him and no one but a cook/maid and a blind tutor.  In the meantime, he transforms on the inside from a horrid, egotistical jerk into a sensitive, literary, rose-loving, gardening, sweet-but-hairy-on-the-outside kind of guy.  When a drug dealer breaks into his house and fears for his life in the clutches of the Beast, he offers his teenage daughter in exchange for his life (really?!)  Along comes Lindy, the average-looking, smart girl with a gentle touch and a love of books who sees past his beastly exterior and into his now-refined heart of gold .  Bet you can’t guess the ending.

The author paints such an annoying picture of Kyle in the beginning of the book, you almost want to put the book down.  I suppose that was intended, so that the reader will relish watching his sanctifying transformation.  Of course he becomes the lovable, perfect guy in the end who falls for the ordinary girl that every girl reading this book thinks she is.  It’s a nice, familiar story that doesn’t disappoint in the end, but it could have been just as good without the crude language and sex talk.  I also found it hard to believe that a 16-year-old couple could find true love that would last forever and that they were living together in the same enormous house by story’s end with no apparent parental supervision.  These are themes I would not recommend adolescent girls to indulge in.

Language: 1

Violence: 0

Sexual Content: 0

Adult Themes: 1

Title: Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

Ratings Explanation

Language: “Lord” used several times as an exclamation.

Adult Themes: Mr. Wickham and Lydia run away together and live, presumably, as husband and wife until they are discovered by Mr. Darcy. They are then convinced to marry. 

Synopsis

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”

When Mr. Bingly, a handsome young man with 5,000 a year, takes a house in the Bennett’s neighborhood, hearts are a flutter and Mrs. Bennett predicts that he will marry one of her daughters. He immediately takes special notice of Jane, the eldest of the 5 Bennett daughters. But Mr. Bingley’s wealthy friend, Mr. Darcy, the “proudest, most disagreeable man in the world”, does not approve of the society in the country and convinces Mr. Bingley to quit Longbourn and return to London. Elizabeth, daughter number 2 of the Bennett girls, is convinced that Mr. Darcy is the cause of her sister’s ruined felicity and is determined to hate him.The story continues full of wit and vibrant, fascinating characters culminating with one the most satisfying conclusions in literature.

One of my favorite books of all time. If it has been a few years since you’ve picked it up, read it again!

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 0

 Violence: 0

 Sexual Content: 4

 Adult Themes: 3

Title:  The Second Summer of the Sisterhood

Author:  Ann Brashares

Ratings Explanation

Sexual Content:  Carmen’s mother, Christina, sleeps with her boyfriend, David.  Kostas and Lena spend an amorous night pushing the limits.  She desires him, but he restrains himself to be a “gentleman”.  When Lena breaks up with Kostas, “the rebound girl” becomes pregnant.  Kostas leaves Lena and returns to Greece to marry the girl.  Carmen spends a lot of energy describing Paul, her father’s attractive stepson.   Brian, Tibby’s friend, spends the night sleeping on the floor of her dorm room.  Tibby shuns Brian’s friendship in her quest to be associated with “cool” peers.

Adult Themes:  Bridget travels to Alabama to get to know her mother’s past as she spends time with her grandmother, Greta.  Bridget grapples with her mother’s mental illness and subsequent suicide.  She also deals with her father’s distancing role in her life.  Carmen attempts to drink her sorrows away, only to become drunk.  Carmen learns to meld the multi-faceted roles of her single mother.  Lena confronts her mother about Eugene, a long lost romance.

Synopsis

The pants make a second summer’s tour through four young girls’ lives: Bridget, Lena, Tibby and Carmen.  The girls each experience the tumult of relationships with their family, friends and those they love as they mature and learn from their summer’s adventure.

I found this book to be very light and packed with romantic drivel. Intense grappling throughout.  Unfortunately, this type of literature is extremely popular.   If you are going to spend 430 pages reading, invest your time in something more substantive.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 0

Violence: 2

Sexual Content: o

Adult Themes: 2

Title: The Diamond in the Window

Author: Jane Langton

Ratings Expanation

Violence:  The children have nightmares during which any injury received carries over to when they are awake.  During these dreams the children become trapped in a giant shell, caught in an avalanche of building of blocks and are chased by an evil man with a long sword who eventually falls on it, ending his life.

Adult Themes:  Ed and Eleanor are orphans cared for by their parents’ siblings.  Their Uncle Eddy has suffered severe emotional trauma due to the disappearance of his younger siblings Ned and Nora.  He is shunned and teased by the townspeople.  Aunt Lily’s love, Prince Krishna, turns up missing as well after trying to find the two missing children.  The bank threatens to take the family’s home if back taxes are not payed.  Eleanor and Eddy worry where they will live.

Synopsis

Eleanor and Eddy Hall live in an eccentric old house in Concord Massachusetts.  The children are in the care of their deceased parents’ siblings, Uncle Freddy and Aunt Lily.  Uncle Freddy was once a respected authority on the local transcendentalism (Emerson, Alcott and Thoreau are historical residents there), but after the disappearance of his younger siblings, Ned and Nora,  Uncle Freddy’s mind is never the same.  Aunt Lily does her best to hold the family together and support them by teaching piano lessons until the bank shows up demanding that all the back taxes on the home be paid by a certain date.  Eleanor and Eddy worry what will become of them all.  The town already looks on them as outcasts.  One summer day changes it all when the two go exploring in the attic.  They find  a room that seems to have remained untouched since Ned and Nora’s time.  It had two little beds and a collection of toys and is lit by a colored glass window.  Upon closer inspection, the window reveals a message or poem of sorts with the title Transcendental Treasure.  Intrigued by a possible treasure that may help them save their home, Eddy and Eleanor beg to move into the attic.  Once settled, the children find their dreams at night go along with clues from the poem etched on the window.  They also discover that the dreams are somehow real.  Whatever happens, good or bad, is reflected in the real world when they awake.   They also catch glimpses of Ned, Nora and Aunt Lily’s love, Prince Krishna.  They do find treasure throughout their adventures, but not the kind that brings them money.  Their adventures became more and more dangerous the closer they come to the final clue.  In the end, Eleanor and Eddy break the spell holding Ned, Nora and Prince Krishna prisoner all these years and return them to a recovered Uncle Freddy and a grateful Aunt Lily.  They also come away with a greater understanding of the treasures life has to offer.

I don’t think this book is in print currently but, it is available through places like Amazon.  It is actually a first in a series of the Hall Family Chronicles by Jane Langton.  A truly unique children’s book with a great mixture of adventure and true life lessons.  I am a little partial, because I too am a fan of Emerson, Alcott and Thoreau.   One of my favorite Uncle Freddy quotes is ‘… we are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones… So carve yourself well!” A great read for young and old.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1

Violence: 2

Sexual Content: 1

Adult Themes: 2

Title:  Water Song:  A Retelling of “The Frog Prince”

 Author: Suzanne Weyn

Ratings Explanation

Language: A couple of common swear words and two uses of the name of deity.

Violence: War violence, gun fire, bombing, poisonous gas.  Describes some suffering of the soldiers that were gassed while in the trenches.  Jack is seriously injured from the gas.  His skin is peeling and eyes are swollen shut.  One soldier’s pockets are stuffed with rocks and then he is shot and thrown into a pond.  Emma and Jack’s lives are both threatened if they do not cooperate with the enemy.  During their escape, both Jack and Emma are shot at.  Emma is wounded.

Sexual Content:  Jack asks for a kiss several times throughout the story.

Adult Themes:  The setting of the story is during WWI.  Bombing and gun shots are a common background to everything.  Emma’s mother is killed during a bombing.  Back home no one has heard from Emma or her dead mother and some assume the mother has run off with someone.  Emma is asked to be a spy and betray her country by giving information to the enemy.  A younger Jack was accused of pick pocketing.  Jack’s mother was a type of witch doctor who used chants, dreams and herbs to help heal others.

Synopsis:

Thinking they are safe from the war, a beautiful, young Emma and her mother travel from their native England to visit the family estate in Belgium.  Unfortunately the war front is closer than expected and Emma’s mother is killed during a bombing attack.  Emma is unable to get home to her father and must remain at the estate with an elderly couple who are the caretakers and her only companions.  One day a rare letter arrives.  It is from her boyfriend who writes to say he is breaking off their relationship because of rumors that her mother has run away with another man.  Infuriated, Emma tosses his picture, contained in an heirloom locket, down a nearby well.   After cooling off, she remembers that the locket also contained the only pictures she has of her parents.  Desperate, she climbs down the well to retrieve her necklace.  Before coming to the bottom, Emma is surprised to find that someone else is already there.  His eyes are large and swollen, his skin is peeling and he cannot talk without having a severe coughing fit.  She decides to help him out of the well and ask the caretakers to nurse him back to health.  Upon coming out of the well, Emma and her new patient are greeted by armed German soldiers then ordered to return to the estate.  The estate has been taken over by the German army who is using its impressive views to monitor the battle fields below.  Emma and the injured man, Jack, are locked in the master bedroom.  Only a caretaker is allowed in and out to bring in food and care for Jack.  As Jack recovers, he begs Emma to give him a kiss.  She is repulsed by his looks and forwardness and refuses him.  This odd ritual continues on a daily basis. Emma finally promises to be his true friend and Jack is satisfied.  Eventually, Emma is allowed to visit the local market accompanied by guards to get supplies and pick up any useful information for the German soldiers.  She is tempted to escape but remembers her promise to be Jack’s true friend.  As tensions build at the estate, Emma and Jack learn to get along and enjoy each others company.  The soldiers soon tire of their prisoners and plan to kill them.  Jack and Emma have gained useful information about the Germans and know they must escape as soon as possible.  They also have gained more than a friendship and discover that they truly love each other.  After many close calls they reach the safety of a neighboring town and continue to help the allied forces win the war and give peace to the war-torn land.

This book is part of a series called Once Upon a Time. Each book is a retelling of a different fairy tale.   I enjoyed this retelling of the not so common Frog Prince.  The WWI European setting was a unique time period for this story.  I thought that the  author’s develpment of Jack as the  Frog Prince was very clever and realistic.  I also appreciated that the author included the underlying moral of the classic tale.  You really can’t judge a book (or frog) by its cover.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1

Violence: 2

Sexual Content: 1

Adult Themes: 2

Title:  At Home in Mitford

Author:  Jan Karon

Ratings Explanation

Language:  A few common swear words and liberal use of the name of deity.  Two uses of the word nigger from some unkind and prejudiced town folk.

Violence:  School boys fighting.  Officer shot during an attempted drug bust. 

Sexual Content:  Alludes to two out-of-wedlock pregnancies.  Father Tim has a strong desire to kiss the woman next door.

Adult Themes:  Racial prejudice, alcoholic mother giving up her five children, burglary, drug making, death of spouse and serious health issues.  All of these are tastefully mentioned and not elaborated on.

Synopsis

Father Tim, rector of 12 years for the small North Carolina town of Mitford, is finding himself a little burned out and feeling empty at the end of the day.  His doctor and secretary have repeatedly encouraged him to take some time for himself, but to Father Tim, caring for his parishioners is a full time job.  However, help comes to him in the strangest ways. First is a new companion, in the form of a  sofa-sized homeless dog, that is liberal with his affectionate and slobbery kisses and controlled only through the reciting of scripture.  Second is an ill-mannered,  eleven year old mountain boy, Dooley, who has been living with his grandfather until his recent bout with pneumonia.   Then there is Puny Bradshaw, the house help hired by the parish to care for their beloved rector, that takes her job more serious than most.  Mix in a jewel thief, a sixty year old mystery, a heart transplant patient, and an attractive new neighbor and Father Tim ends up needing to take a real vacation in the end.

  This book is not an attention grabbing page turner.   It is rather like sipping a relaxing cup of hot cocoa, and snuggling in a warm blanket on a rainy day.  It was a breath of fresh air and a reminder of true humanity and neighborly love. 

 ©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 0

Violence: 2

Sexual Content: 3

Adult Themes:2

Title: Just Ella

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  A maid servant is beaten within an inch of her life for oversleeping.  The prince kills a sentenced man in front of Ella, in an attempt to show his power and win her affections.  As Ella approaches the refugee camp, “screams of anguish and terror” come from the battle grounds.

Sexual Content:  Ella describes the power of persuasion through pillow talk “when coupled with a kiss and a breathing whisper and the rest of what men and women do in bed.” Ella says her father was blinded to her step-mother’s faults because of his “desire to touch her skin, caress her body, join his to hers.”  There is mention of different privileges for married women than for virgins.  Ella is threatened to comply to marry the prince or be “taken care of” by a sentenced rapist.

Adult Themes:  Ella’s religious teacher suffers a stroke or heart attack during a lesson and nearly dies.  He “fouls himself”  after passing out.  Religion is talked of as a formality. Brief comments on the sufferings of war.  Citizens living on the country’s borders loose their homes and farms to the destruction of war.   Ella is imprisoned to weaken her will  and force her compliance in marrying Prince Charming.  She is fed occasionally, only a bowl of thin gruel with weevils.

Synopsis

A twist on a popular fairy tale whisks Ella off her feet to live in the Charming castle after winning the prince’s affections (without magic) at a ball.  As she prepares for her upcoming wedding, Princess Cynthiana Eleanora, as she is now called,  is surrounded by tutors and advisers that teach her the proper way to think and behave.  Ella quickly becomes uncomfortable with this restrictive, royal life and longs to have some freedom.   After suffering ill health, Ella’s religious teacher is replaced by his son Jed.  Ella finds Jed refreshingly honest and real and decides to confide some of her feelings to him.  He in return tells Ella that his greatest desire is to create refugee camps for those left homeless from their country’s war.  As her wedding day quickly approaches, Ella realizes that she does not love the prince and decides to break off their engagement.  The prince doesn’t take this well and Ella is thrown into prison until she agrees to the marriage.  Meanwhile, Jed is finally given permission to start his refugee camp when palace advisers suspect a relationship forming between him and the princess.  After days of torment and starvation, Ella escapes the dungeon by digging her way out.  She discovers that Jed is at the battle front and decides her best bet at living a free life is to study up on her agricultural and medical skills,  making herself a valuable asset that the refugee camp cannot refuse.  Days of travel bring her to the country’s border where she finds Jed.  He immediately professes his love to Ella, but she is unsure that this is really what she wants.  After agreeing to work at the camp for a while, Ella eventually discovers that Jed is her one and only true love.

What girl doesn’t dream about living happily ever after.  The author gave this fairy tale a creative spin by using self initiative instead of magic to decide the heroine’s fate.  I did find Ella hard to connect with.  I never felt really drawn into her plight.  I think the author focused too much on the power of feminism rather than developing believable characters.  I also thought that some of the sexual content was too mature for some young readers that might be attracted to a fairy tale story.

2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1

Violence: 1

Sexual Content:1

Adult Themes: 1

Title:  Stargirl

 Author:  Jerry Spinelli

Ratings Explanation

Language: One use of the name of deity. Some name calling and belittling. One girl, Hillary, says that Stargirl’s parents are witches or brain-dead vegetables in a hospital. She also belittles Stargirl in front of a group of other students, calling her goofy, crazy and tells her to go back where she came from.

Violence: Hillary holds Stargirls rat from a high balcony and threatens to drop it. She also slaps Star Girls face in an attempt provoke her to fight back. A tomato is thrown at Star Girl from fans at a basketball game when she continues to cheer for the opposing team.

Sexual Content: Leo describes the miracle of summer when someone “leaves in June looking like a little girl and returns in September as a full-bodied woman”. Leo and Stargirl’s first kiss is described as follows: “the last remaining space between our lips was gone… that was no saint kissing me.”

Adult Themes: The whole story revolves around social ethics dealing with individuality versus conformity. The characters must decide which is most important and to what extent they are willing to defend their position.

Synopsis

When a mysterious young girl moves to Mica, Arizona, she turns the local high school upside down. Stargirl, as she calls herself, “laughed when there was no joke. She danced when there was no music. She had no friends, yet she was the friendliest person in school”. Leo, a fellow student, is fascinated with Stargirl but never expects to actually like her. This relationship forces Leo to take a good look at himself and his relationship to others. Stargirl teaches him about true humanity and the importance of the individual, while bringing unity to their small community.

Spinelli did a great job in helping the reader rethink the importance of the individual. While reading, I experienced many of the same soul-searching questions that Leo had. In the end, I was left feeling a greater desire to look out for my neighbors and not be so quick to judge others. A great book to read and discuss with pre-teens and older.

  ©2009 The Literate Mother

 Language:1

Violence: 5

Sexuality: 4

Adult Themes: 2

Title: Eclipse – Twilight Series, Book 3

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Ratings Explanation

Language: Bella writes a note to Edward – “Screw the protecting me crap.”  She also demands, “What the hell is this all about?”

Violence:   A clash between the werewolves and the Cullen Coven as they try to capture Victoria who treads along the boundary between the Quileute Reservation and the Town of Forks.  Rosalie refers to Bella’s experience in Twilight, where Bella was cornered by four men that were planning to rape her, had Edward not rescued her.  Rosalie recounts her last human experience.  She was violently raped by her wealthy fiance’ and his cluster of friends.  One friend ”…looked me over like I was a horse he was buying.”  The five men raped Rosalie and left her in the street for dead.  Rosalie was rescued by Carlisle and transformed into a vampire.  Rosalie systematically killed all who had raped her.  Jacob’s hand gets sliced by a boning knife while doing dishes with Bella.  Vampires break into Bella’s home and steal belongings that have her scent on them.  The Newborn Vampire Army creates havoc in Seattle with hundreds of unexplained deaths.  Jasper recounts gruesome vampire wars in Mexico.  Bella attends a tribal council with Jacob, where the History of the Quileutes is recounted.  The history includes the vampire’s slaughter of their tribe.  The suicide sacrifice of Taha Aki’s wife, as well as the tribe’s metamorphisis into werewolf protectors.  Jacob physically forces himself upon Bella, kissing her.  Bella breaks her hand punching him in the jaw.  Victoria and Riley, evil vampires, fight Edward and Seth the Werewolf.  The werewolf rips Riley the vampire to pieces and dismembers his body.  Edward kills Victoria.  The Cullen Coven defeat the Newborn Vampire Army.   The Cullen Coven collect the pieces of the dismembered corpses of the vampires and burn them.  A Newborn Vampire girl survives the battle.  She cannot control her thirst.  The Volturi arrive and dispose of the girl.  

Sexuality:  Meyer’s describes the most innocent of kisses in a very slow, sensuous manner.  Charlie, Bella’s father asks her if they are having  sex.  Bella is mortified.  She has never been immoral.  Jacob Black and Edward are described in vivid detail.  ie.) “..six foot seven inches of Jacob’s long body, muscled up the way no normal sixteen-and-a-half-year -old ever had been.  I saw those eyes rake over his tight black t-shirt….”  Werewolves are imprinted to their mate.  They instantly know who their soul mate is when they see them.  Quil imprints when he sees a two year old girl.  (He will be her friend, until she is older and comes to the realization that they are mates.)  Edward tells Bella, “You look…sexy.” Edward lifts her onto a counter to kiss him.   Bella does not want to give up the human experience of sex.  She begins to take her clothes off the seduce Edward.  Edward tells Bella he will not have sex with her until they are married.  She gives him a hard time about protecting his virtue.  He will not back down.  He is protecting her virtue as well.  Bella freezes in a snowstorm.  Jacob has to be the one to warm her up, since werewolves are hot-blooded.  Edward is upset, but sees that he has to allow Jacob to climb in Bella’s sleeping bag to warm her up.  Jacob suggests Bella take her clothes off and she would warm up really fast.  Edward tells Jacob to control his thoughts.  (Edward can read other’s thoughts.)  Jacob and Bella share an intense first kiss. 

Adult Themes:  Bella lies to her father about where she is going so that she can spend the weekend with Edward.  Bella loves both Jacob and Edward.  She can envision her life with each of them.  She has to make a decision and live with the consequences. 

Synopsis

Bella and Edward are back to together again.  Bella laments the passing of time.  Each day is a day she will be older than her non-aging vampire boyfriend, Edward, who was transformed into a vampire, when he was just seventeen.  The last few months of high school rapidly pass as Bella anxiously awaits and woefully dreads graduation.  Bella’s human days are numbered.  She tries to live her final human experiences to the fullest.  Bella has decided that after graduation she will become a vampire; and she desires Edward to be the one to make her immortal.  Edward agrees, if and only if they are married first.  Bella ponders the consequences of her impending decision to become a vampire.  Most poignantly, the impact upon family and friends.  She is fearful of what she may become.

Bella discovers that she is torn between her love for Edward and surprisingly, her unrequited love for her best friend, Jacob.  She wishes she could be divided in two and live both lives.

Meanwhile, Victoria seeks revenge.   She has created an army of “Newborn Vampires”, who are ravaging the city of Seattle.  (Victoria was James, “ The Tracker’s” mate, from the first book, Twilight.  In Twilight, the Cullen Coven dismembered and burned James – the only way to kill a vampire; to save Bella’s life.)  The werewolves and the Cullen Coven unite to fend off the “Newborn Vampire” Army.  Edward and Jacob personally unite to protect Bella.  The Volturi, from book two, New Moon, also make a chilling appearance after the vicious battle is fought.

Meyer’s talent lies in capturing the intense emotions you experience in a first crush/first kiss/first love.  The soap opera quality of the Twilight Series hooks young and younger readers alike, as you consume the drivel to see ”What will happen next?”.   In book three, Bella is finally developing into a more mature character.  She thinks about the ramifications of her impending “immortal” decision.  What will be most identifiable to young readers will be Bella’s torn heart, between her “True Love”, Edward and her “Best Friend”, Jacob.  Bella will always wonder what her life would have been like had she chosen the other. 

Bella Swann, as a role-model to young women is extremely discouraging.  Bella has redeeming character traits.  Bella is a responsible teenager, who competently handles the running of a household.  She grocery shops, prepares meals, and does her laundry, in addition to being an A+ student.  Bella also expresses maturity in relationships with her peers. 

Although, Bella’s relationship with Edward is unhealthy.  Bella has low self-esteem.  (Most teenage girls will identify easily with this.)  Bella is extremely self-deprecating, and she frequently describes Edward as perfect.  She juxtaposes her woeful inadequecies next to his perfection in her thoughts and voice.  Bella constantly diminishes her self-worth and her frequent self- descriptive words are “ordinary” and “regular”. 

The underlying message is, “Bella is of exceptional value, as long as someone of the opposite sex loves her.”  Edward is perfection.  Bella reminds us of his perfection and how lucky she is to have him.  Never does she acknowledge that she deserves to have someone attractive love her.  All of Edward’s controlling behaviors are deemed acceptable, and forgiven, on the premise that he loves her.

Eclipse would definitely be a great book to open discussion regarding self-worth, as well as the importance of virtue in relationships.  Eclipse is more appropriate for high school age readers.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1

Violence:  3

Sexuality: 2

Adult Themes: 2

Title: New Moon

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Series: The Twilight Saga, Book 2

 Ratings Explanation

 Language: 7 instances of “hell” and 6 instances of “damn”.

 Violence: While at the Cullen’s home, Bella cuts her arm and is nearly attacked by Jasper. Edward defends her. Bella encounters Laurent in the forest, a vampire who would very  much like to kill Bella since she smells so good and the Cullens are not around to protect her. Werewolves patrol the forest, save Bella and kill Laurent. Victoria, the vampire mate of James, who Edward killed in Twilight, is stalking Bella. She wants to kill Edward’s mate since Edward killed her mate. Hikers disappear; killed by either Laurent or Victoria. Bella engages in self-destructive behavior in order to hear Edward’s voice in her head. She discovers that when she is in danger, he “speaks” to  her, although he is nowhere near. Bella then tries out motorcycle riding, ending in injuries, and cliff diving, nearly resulting in her drowning. After her near drowning, Edward thinks that Bella is dead and goes to Italy to ask the Volturi to kill him. While in Italy to save Edward, Bella witnesses a roomful of 40 or more tourists who are brought into the Volturi’s lair on a “sightseeing” tour. That, of course, ends poorly for the tourists who become dinner for the Volturi clan. Bella is especially affected by a small, dark woman with a rosary and a cross. As Bella, Edward, and Alice escape, they hear the tourists screaming.

 Sexuality: Edward is actually absent for most of the book, so there isn’t too much kissing, but some of it is a little intense. “…his lips became much more urgent, his free hand twisted into my hair and held my face securely to his. And, though my hands tangled in his hair, too, and though I was clearly beginning to cross his cautious lines, for once he didn’t stop me. His body was cold through the thin quilt, but I crushed myself against him eagerly. “After Edward returns, as in the first book, he stays in Bella’s bed with her most nights. In another scene, “I could feel his marble body against every line of mine.”

 Adult Themes: Bella is so distraught when Edward leaves that she can barely hold herself together. She abandons her other friends and just barely functions. Charley wants her to see a therapist, but she refuses. Jacob loves Bella, but to her he is only a best friend. She knows she is leading him on, but can’t stay away from him because he fills the void left by Edward. Alice steals two cars while in Italy. Bella deceives her father by having Edward in her room at night.

 Synopsis

In the second installment of the Twilight Saga, Bella and Edward are very much in love. An unfortunate accident in which Bella is nearly attacked by Edward’s “brother” Jasper, emphasizes the differences between them and the potential danger Bella is exposed to when she is around his vampire family. In an effort to protect her, Edward leaves Forks and abandons Bella. Alone and seriously depressed, Bella begins hanging out with Jacob, an old family friend. With Jacob’s help, Bella begins to heal from losing Edward, but Jacob has a dark secret of his own. When Edward  believes that Bella is dead, he goes to Italy to ask the Volturi to kill him. Only seeing Bella in the flesh will convince him that she is still alive, but the Volturi do not take kindly to humans who know their secret. Can they escape Italy alive and together?

With Edward gone, Bella is a mess. I worry a little that young girls will think that this is how you are supposed to feel, and act, when your boyfriend breaks up with you.

The story is a page turner. Of the four books, this one is probably the least sensual since Edward is gone for the majority of the book. Still, not a series for young girls. My recommended age is high school.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1

Violence: 4

Sexuality: 3

Adult Themes: 3

Title:  Twilight

Author:  Stephenie Meyer

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Ratings Explanation

Language: References to rapidly uttered profanities spoken by the vampires – unintelligible to the human ear.  Bella claims Forks is her personal hell.

Violence:  The preface foreshadows Bella’s hopelessness as the hunter saunters toward her to kill her.  A van hits ice in the school parking lot and slides toward her.  If not for Edward’s stealth, she would have been crushed.  Blood typing in science class.  Every student has to prick their finger with a lancet.  Bella has a nightmare of Jacob the Werewolf and Edward the Vampire squaring off to fight.  Bella researches vampires and discovers the Romanian Varacolaci, a powerful undead human being who could appear as a beautiful, pale-skinned human, the Slovak Nelapsi, a creature so strong and fast it could massacre an entire village in the single hour after midnight.  Bella takes a girl’s shopping trip to Port Angeles.  She leaves their company in search of a book store.  Bella is herded and surrounded by four raucous men in a deserted industrial area.  Bella is terrified and knows there is no escape.  Fortunately, she is saved by Edward.  Although, thanks to Edward’s mind-reading capabilities, it is obvious that Bella would have been a victim of rape.  Edward confirms that he is indeed a vampire.  He warns Bella not to go into the woods alone.  There are things far more dangerous than him out there.  Edward describes how vampires hunt their prey.  “….we give ourselves over to our senses….govern less with our minds.  Especially our sense of smell.”  Edward tells Bella that he could have easily killed her when they first met.  “There was only one other frail human there – so easily dealt with.”  Edward also recounts how he was turned into a vampire.  He recounts the grisly description of Carlisle’s transformation from human to vampire.  Violence recounted from the 1600’s - the deaths of many innocent people.  Carlisle attacks a deer and his thirst is quenched, he vows to drink the blood of animals and not humans.  James the tracker desires Bella’s blood.  Alice describes how to become a vampire to Bella.  The bite, the incapacitating venom, and the blood-lust that ensue.  James attacks Bella.  Bella receives a crushing blow to the chest, her head crunches into the mirrors.  James steps on her leg, snapping the bone.  The glass from the mirrors, rips her scalp open and the blood soaks her.  James bites her hand and the venom begins to spread.  James is destroyed, meaning, torn into pieces by the Cullen Coven of vampires and burned.

Sexuality:  Twilight is a very sensual book.  Every interaction between Bella and Edward is amplified and described in a slow, sensuous manner.  Edward is described in repetitive detail, denoting his beautifully chiseled marble face etc.  ie) “Again, the fabric clung to his perfectly muscled chest.  It was a tribute to his face that it kept my eyes away from his body.”  Edward watches Bella sleep each night.  Eventually, he sleeps holding her in his arms in her bed.  As Edward is in her room, Bella notes that her father is in the house.  Bella watches as a waitress coyly suggests to Edward “Isn’t there anything I can get you?”   Intense first kiss, with Bella’s human reaction lacking in self-control as she wraps herself around Edward.  Bella curiously asks if vampires can have sex.

Adult Themes: Vampires – The Cold Ones, Blood Drinkers.  Bella deals with the complications of divorced parents.  Bella’s mother lives with her boyfriend, Phil.  Bella deliberately and unnecessarily takes cold medicine to knock herself out – gratuitous drug use.

Synopsis

Isabella Swan is seventeen years old.  “Bella’s” parents are divorced.  Mid-school year, Bella chooses to move to Forks, Washington, where her father resides.  Bella’s father, Charlie, is a single father, who is also the Chief of Police.  Bella leads her mother to believe that she really wants to move to Forks, when she would rather stay in Phoenix.  However, Bella believes her mother will be happier traveling with her boyfriend, Phil, to Florida for Baseball Spring Training.  Phil is an amatuer baseball player, working toward his big break.  Bella sacrifices her comfort for her mother’s happiness.

Bella arrives in Forks with little enthusiasm for her new life.  She quickly begins to realize life in Forks will be anything but dismal.  Her father purchases a “historic truck” for her to drive – forty years new.  Bella is showered with male attention as the “new girl” at Forks High School.  She finds that her pale complexion is an asset in Forks, Washington.  Bella is unaccustomed to so much male attention.  She is mutually humored and stunned by the attempts for her attentions.

Bella experiences her “First Crush/First Love”, with Edward Cullen.  She experiences her first kiss, as well as the intense longings and desires that accompany first love.  Bella discovers that Edward is not just another high school student.  Edward and his “siblings”, are a coven of vampires, who pose as high school students in their quest for co-existence with humans.  They drink the blood of animals instead of humans in order to stave off their thirst for human blood.  Bella is cautiously introduced into Edward’s World  - A World of Vampires.  As Bella participates in a Cullen Family game of baseball, another coven of vampires happens upon the Cullens.  Bella, as the only human, has her life threatened.  James, the leader of the opposing coven is a “tracker”, a hunter, with an insatiable desire for Bella’s blood.  An intense game of ”Hunter and Prey” ensues as the Cullen’s conspire to keep Bella alive and out of James’ grasp.

I first read this book two years ago when a few twelve and thirteen year old girls in my neighborhood told me “I just had to read Twilight”.  I admit, I was intrigued by the plot.  I had to find out how a vampire/human relationship could ever work out.  Meyer’s writing style leaves much to be desired.  Her descriptions are repetitive and unimaginative.  The strength of Meyer’s lies is her ability to capture the intense emotions that a person experiences in their “First Crush/First Kiss/First Love”.  The love story of Bella and Edward is the intense draw for so many young women.  The unattainable uber-attractive male who is just as enamored with the average female as she is with him is a universal desire.  This resounds with every female.  As I re-read Twilight this month, I have been quite surprised to recently see so many 4th and 5th grade readers devouring the Twilight Series.  The Twilight Series is more appropriate for a 9th-12th grade “young adult” reader.  Twilight lends itself to discussing many issues with your young reader: personal safety, drug abuse, theft, honesty, defining self-worth, boundaries in relationships and early sexuality.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 0 

Violence: 3 

Sexuality: 1 

Adult Themes: 0

Title:  Princess Academy

Author:  Shannon Hale

2006 Newbery Honor Book

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  Miri’s mother is hurt in the quarry while she is pregnant with Miri.  Miri is born early and her mother dies a week later.  Marda’s leg is broken as a cart in the quarry rolls back down the mountain and crushes her leg.  The teenage girls in the village are forcibly taken to the Princess Academy.  The tutor, Olana is an extremely strict teacher.  She punishes them with palm lashings and deprives them of meals.  Olana also locks them in a cold, dark closet inhabited by a rat.  The rat tries to nest in Miri’s hair, as she lies on the cold stone floor for hours.   Miri tries to run away as the bandits take the academy hostage.  She is tackled by a bandit.  Knut, the school caretaker has his arm broken by the bandits.  A bandit catches Olana by the throat and shoves her against the wall.  Dan, a bandit, lifts Esa from the ground by her neck and threatens to make sure she never speaks again.  Dan tells Onor, both bandits there will be “plenty of time for killing later”.  A bandit stuffs his cap in one of a girl’s mouth.  Dan gags Miri and pulls her by the hair.  He then threatens to slit her throat.  As the girls try to escape, Dan grabs Miri and tells her, “I’ll see you broken and dead.”  Dan and Miri fall off a cliff onto a ledge together.  Dan clenches Miri’s leg until Miri’s father strikes him on the forehead with a mallet.  He then falls to his death.

Sexuality:  Miri and Peder dance, hold hands and kiss.  Miri has butterflies when she thinks of Peder and envisions marrying Prince Steffan, who looks just like Peder.  

Synopsis

Miri is named after a flower that grows on Mount Eskel.  Miri is a fourteen year old girl, that lives in a village near the top of Mount Eskel.  The village quarries linder, a unique, highly-prized, pale stone used to build palaces.  At age eight, the children in the village begin to work in the quarry.  Miri’s father, a widower, has forbidden her to work in the quarry.  However, Marda, her older sister gets to work in the quarry.  Miri longs to be a part of the unifying song and speech of the quarry workers.  Instead, Miri spends her days tending to the goats and caring for their home.

A delegate of the King of Danlander arrives in the village and declares the priests have read the omens and divined the home of the prince’s future bride as Mount Eskel.  All teenage girls younger than the prince are required to attend a makeshift Princess Academy for one year to prepare for royal life.  The young women begin their education and their perspective is forever changed. The girls become fierce competitors for ”Academy Princess”, the valedictorian of the class.  The entire academy is then held hostage by violent bandits, hoping to ransom the future princess.  Miri finds a way to outwit the bandits, using a unique gift.  A new princess is chosen and Miri learns that real love is based on friendship.  Miri is a strong and determined young woman.  Miri realizes that the application of her education, will ultimately increase the quality of life for her village.

This book is not the predictable fairy-tale you envision from the title, “Princess Academy”.  This book is a multi-layered story about a young girl’s education, relationships and the meaning of family.  Her perspective of the world completely changes through the course of the story.  I found myself cheering Miri on in her quest for knowledge.  “Princess Academy” is a breath of fresh air and an inspiring book for young females to read.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 0 

Violence: 2 

Sexual Content: 2 

Adult Themes: 1 

Title:  Fairest

Author:  Gail Carson Levine

Ratings Explanation

Violence:  King Oscaro is accidentally hit in the head by a large metal ring while attending a sporting event.  The impact causes him to slip in and out of consciousness for weeks.  Uju hurls a dagger into an ogre’s throat.  Aza is given a poisonous apple, which nearly causes her death.  Aza fights the evil villain, Skulni in the mirror. 

Sexual Content: The newlywed, Queen Ivi flirtatiously touches Prince Ijori’s cheek.  While traveling back to the castle, Prince Ijori and Aza spend the night together clasping hands.  They also share a kiss.  Aza bathes with gnome ladies in the lake.  The gnome ladies skin is wrinkled and leathery, so they do not seem naked to Aza.

Adult Themes:  Queen Ivi is intensely jealous of anyone she sees as a potential threat.  Queen Ivi is also very concerned about Prince Ijori’s attentions being directed towards Aza.

Synopsis

Aza has the most amazing voice in the Kingdom of Ayortha.  Aza can “illuse”, which is throw her voice while singing.  Singing is one of the two prized qualities in Ayortha, a kingdom that communicates through song.  However, Aza does not possess the other prized quality, which is beauty.  In fact, she is deemed ugly.  Aza is hidden in the shadows at the Featherbed, an inn her family runs.  Through fortuitous circumstances, she becomes the lady-in-waiting to the new queen.  Aza has to step into the limelight as her new role requires.   The new,  jealous Queen Ivi threatens Aza and she performs a dangerous task for the queen.  Aza learns where her real value lies as she begins the journey to save herself, the queen and the Kingdom of Ayortha, as the pursuit for beauty results in disaster.

This book is a great way to introduce youth to the consequences of basing their self-worth on their appearance.  The consequences are amplified and therefore appear ridiculous.  This book would be a great way to open up a discussion which would help your child to decide what they will value?  (Be prepared to break into song.)    

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 1 

Violence: 1 

Sexual Content: 1 

Adult Themes: 3 

Title: AngelMonster

Author: Veronica Bennett

Rating Explanation

Language: A handful of swear words and profanity

Violence: 2 suicides – it is stated that they occurred, but there is no action

Sexual Content: Main character, Mary, kisses a married man and then they have sex. There is a lot of sex going on in the book, as detailed in the adult themes section, but no descriptions of these relations. Brief discussion that Mary is no longer a virgin.

Adult Themes: A 16 year-old girl runs away with her married suitor and lives with him as his wife. Several extra-marital affairs involving different characters. Children born out of wedlock.  There is marital strife and jealousy. Use of opium and alcohol.

Synopsis

Mary Wollstonecraft is 16, bright, daring, and lovely. The daughter of progressive thinking parents, she has unconventional ideas about religion and love for the day in which she lives. She falls in love with the poet Percy Shelley and runs away to Europe with him, although he is a married man. Scandal, heartache, and disaster shadow them through their years together. These darker experiences with Shelley develop a story in her which becomes her most famous work, Frankenstein.

This book wouldn’t make my top 10 list, but it was enjoyable. Although there are no explicit sexual descriptions, be aware that there are multiple extra-marital affairs going on in the book.

©2009 The Literate Mother

Language: 4

Violence: 0

Sexual Content: 2

Adult Themes: 2 

Title: Perfect You

Author: Elizabeth Scott

Rating Explanation

Language: Quite a lot of swearing, more than 40 instances including three F-words, and some profanity

Sexual Content: The main character, Kate, and a guy from school make out all through the book, but it is never graphic. Some sexual language like “a girl to feel up,” Kate’s brother “doing it” with a girl in his room, kids in high school “hooking up”

Adult Themes: Kate’s father quits his job to pursue his own business, but it never takes off. Her parents have marital problems because of the financial choices he makes and they eventually separate. Kate’s family loses their home because of their money problems.

Synopsis

Kate is having a really bad year. Her father quit his job to sell Perfect You vitamins at the mall and her family is having major financial problems. Her best friend becomes popular and seems to have completely forgotten that they were ever friends. And there’s also Will. Does he really like her? Or is he just using her? It’s easy to be mad and only think of all the bad things. Could it be that she is missing some of the good things?

When I first started this book I was drawn in because Kate was experiencing so many things that most teenagers do. But I thought it went on a little long and felt like the story could have been told in about half the pages. I was also distracted by some of the language.

©2009 The Literate Mother