• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 11.

• Is it any good?

  4.0

• Common Sense says

  Great mom-daughter read about a Pakistani teen.

Why We Rated This for Ages 11 and Up

What to watch out for

• Messages:

  Other than a 10-year-old boy, there are no males with redeeming qualities in the book. Nazia's father and brother steal, lie, and desert their family. Nazia lives in a society where girls are expected to do what they are told; her marriage at age 14 to her much-older cousin was arranged when she was a young child. Nazia's mother pulls her out of school to work as a maid; later, they lose their home and must beg for shelter from their employer. As a servant, Nazia is mistreated and looked down upon by her wealthy employers and by her former social peers. One employer says, "You people spread lice faster than flies on meat." The same employer ignores Nazia's pleas when another child servant is ill. A mother sells her child into servitude, only visiting to take his earnings.
• Violence:

  Nazia's father hits Nazia and her mother once. Their employer slaps Nazia in the face and cuffs another young servant on the head.
• Sex:

  There is a brief reference to mothers wanting to marry their daughters early to protect their innocence.
• Language:

  Not an issue.
• Consumerism:

  Not an issue.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

About Beneath My Mother's Feet

Families Can Talk About