Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Language: “Sweet Jesus” used once

Violence: A child is hit by a car.

Sexual Content: Some mention of pornography, see below.

Adult Themes: A young girl begins menstruation. A young man looks at a “girlie” magazine and an older man explains to him why that will never bring him happiness. A young boy sees a Playboy magazine at school and feels dirty after looking at it. A bar has a naked woman on the weather vane and an “Adult Toys” sign in the window, but the bar actually has neither naked women nor adult toys.  A description of an emergency heart surgery performed on a kitchen floor.

Synopsis

Everyone in town loves 7-year-old Annie. She sells lemonade on main street, advertising at the top of her lungs in her pretty, yellow dress. Passersby purchase a cool drink and always toss a little extra cash into her big glass jar. When a stranger encounters Annie for the first time, he can’t  help but notice the scar on her chest. It opens a window into Annie’s life and pricks at the past he is trying to keep secret. Then when a careening truck strikes Annie, the stranger is there to help save her life. This single incident sets a chain of events in motion that will change the lives of Annie and the stranger forever.

I enjoyed When Crickets Cry, but it doesn’t make my favorites list. Annie’s character, while endearing and sweet, was a little too insightful. While I am sure that children who have endured much and face death acquire a certain level of maturity beyond their years, Annie, for me, was a little overdone in her ability to, in any situation, come up with a statement or phrase that perfectly captured the spirituality or eternal significance of the moment. Aside from this small irritation, and some serious sentimentality, I enjoyed reading a novel with no offensive language and positive messages about overcoming trials of all kinds. Each of the characters had a cross to bear and it was uplifting to watch them handle their situations with patience and faith. I was also impressed by the author’s well worded criticism of pornography and his affirmation of fidelity in marriage. Below is one of my favorite quotes from the book.

“How would you know? You just said you’ve only loved one woman. I think you need to test-drive a few cars before you buy one.”

“You can buy that lie if you want, but if you’re working for a bank, you don’t study the counterfeit to know the real thing. You study the real thing to know the counterfeit.”

Overall a good book.