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Before We Were Free
(2004, Fiction - Historical Fiction, Written by Julia Alvarez)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 11. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Young readers may need some historical context.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 11–14
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About Before We Were Free
Parents need to know that children reading this book may need help with the historical context, which is not explained clearly, and may be disturbed by the sudden intrusion of details about torture.
Read our full review by Matt Berman
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about how the historical context affects Anita's view of the world around her. What is the significance of the world events taking place around her? How does it affect her point of view and her subsequent actions?
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
I rate this title on for age 12 and give it- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
- I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
Before we were free is over-hyped but definitely a great book
I had to read seven books for my reading log due every few months so I chose this one. Well, it was a great thing I did. Before we were free is about many horrible things happening in Anita's country. Such as the SIM police searching everyone's house, El Jefe which is a lecherous man, and Anita's relatives are missing. While the book doesn't have bad content, some of it is very mature. For sexual content, it is very iffy. Not explicit and no discussions of sex but there are references of a girls' breasts being too small, a girl getting her period, and El Jefe is a lecherous man. Profanity, is also iffy. There is some profanity such as one use of S.O.B. (printed just like that) and bastard. For violence, it's not an issue. Some topics deal with violence but they don't go that much in depth. I highly recommend the book for children 12 and up. There is some mature content that pushes the kid borderline, but the book isn't too explicit either.
- I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
this is more for girls
she was pretty brave to make decisions on her on like that, most girls would be intrested in this if they have a lack of courage in decision making.
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
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