Brigid in NC Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Are there any sites that highlight potentially objectionable issues in books, similar to some movie review sites for parents? There are a number of books that I have not read, or that I read eons ago, that I would like to include in a reading list for a co-op -- but I am concerned that unwanted "surprises" might pop up that parents might not appreciate. I don't have time to read or re-read all the books beforehand, and my memory is often fuzzy when it comes to some books that I read in high school and college. I also really don't want to go to Sparknotes and read book summaries, because I'd like to read some of the books along with (or slightly ahead of) the kids -- and enjoy the books without knowing what is going to happen. Thanks for any suggestions. ~Brigid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmamainva Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 I read the reviews on Amazon.com -- they usually have 'official book summaries' and then comments by readers of the book. Someone else might have another suggestion, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 review sites that are very comprehensive. :( But there are some book review sites that are worth the time for at least decent pleasure reading! Here are some: http://teenink.com/Books/ These are reviews written by teens and some classics are included! http://www.flamingnet.com/ This one also has some good literature reviews The problem I've found is that no one seems willing, particularly librarians, :confused: to let parents know about sexual or violent content and it ticks me off! They'll give 4 or 5 stars and basically rewrite/retell the synopsis on the back of the book. That doesn't help me! I read quite a bit of teen and young adult fiction and it's amazing how often a book gets high marks, great reviews but no one mentions the homosexual overtones or the drug experimentation or the scene of intense violence or rape because, I guess, everyone believes that teens are just little adults who can self-sensor and use sound judgment 100% of the time and not be led by their peers. Yeah. Maybe I'd still choose the book, but I can't even MAKE a choice if no one stands up and says THIS is what's in the book!!! Grrr. I'm not only talking about the current fiction out there, either. All I can say--before getting off my soapbox--is to preread as much as you can and never rely on only 1 or 2 reviews or opinions. Heck, I've seen books recommended casually here that I would *never* suggest to anyone without some sort of content disclaimer! We have our children for such a short time, and I'm not willing to hand their minds over completely to the public library just yet. LOL!! ;) (My librarian MIL would probably faint...hehe) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne/Ankara Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Here's another site to try: http://www.factsonfiction.org/content/aboutus.shtml but it may be just younger kids' books... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 mmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melora in NC Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Common Sense Media has reviews of children's books which would mention possibly objectionable things. I don't know if they have a lot of high school level classics (I checked for Alice in Wonderland, and they had that!). My link is to a particular book because I wasn't sure if there was a home page just for book reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outtamyshell Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 http://www.kids-in-mind.com/ This one will give you all of the details on why you might find a movie objectionable. Here's a piece of what they had to say about Hellboy II: SEX/NUDITY 2 - A woman kisses the forehead of a demonic-looking character. ► A character tells a woman that she is pregnant after touching her stomach. A woman takes a pregnancy test. ► A demonic-looking character showers and we see his bare back to the hip and a demonic-looking character is shown bare-chested in a couple of scenes. A man is shown bare-chested while practicing martial moves with a spear. Women are shown wearing low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage. A woman sleeps wearing a tank top and boy-short underwear. ► We see a large stone statue of a female that is described as a fertility goddess (it has exaggerated breasts and hips). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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