I thought this book was very intriguing. A story about a boy and a girl, marooned on an island in the middle of a lake. That just captures the imagination right there. The nudity in the beginning will capture any perverse teenagers mind, and may even have them hooked on the book for a while. Now, the nudity for me, I didn't even get phased by it. I've been around way too many things for this to bother me, so I was alright with it. I'm sure parents would think that this is soemthing wrong or unright, but if a child is to learn about the ways that most people act, tehn they must either read about it, or figure it out the hard way, by observation. A parent can teach a child, or he can figure it out by himself, and possibly go into the wrong direction with it. The alcohol is not a prblem. I myself have never drunk alcohol, nor will I until it is legal for me to. Any sexual content was a little distracting to me, but if I were basically stripped naked and the only thing I could grab to cover me was a shirt that has some pretty graphic content, I think we all know which I'd choose. Of course, I would try to get rid of it as soon as possible, but there's nothing I'd be able to do at that point. ...That's about it. This is my first review on any book online. I thought the book had a beautiful storyline, showing the affection of a boy to a girl, without the whole use of sexual fission to completely destroy the beauty of it.
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The Goats
(2005, Fiction - Friendship, Written by Brock Cole)
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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 9, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 10. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Camp tale gives readers a lot to think about.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 10 and Up
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 The Goats
Parents need to know that, as part of a cruel joke, two young teens are stranded on an island together without any way to get back to camp -- and without any clothes. But even though they're naked, there's no hanky-panky; instead, the mortified outcasts work together to survive the experience and get revenge on the bullies who tried to humiliate them.
Read our full review by Matt Berman
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about the emotional and physical effects of bullying and the human tendency to single out those who are "different." Why have Howie and Laura been labeled social outcasts? Do they accept these labels or reject them? By the end of the story, have Howie and Laura become different people? How are they different?
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
My Thoughts on The Goats.
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
brutal, tender, beautiful
I thought that this book was beautiful. The kids are young enough and innocent enough that sex is not an issue, there are a couple of d-words, but there is a lot of love. (I only mention the sex and language because this site seems concerned about these issues.) Two sensitive kids react to the brutality of hazing, by running, and end up clinging to each other in the most heartwarming way. I loved it. Exciting, deep, and powerful.
- I rate this title off for age 17 and give it
Not appropriate.
My 10 year-old granddaughter read this! She loved it and recommended I read it. I was appalled at the language I found in this book. God did not put me on this Earth to stand by when my granddaughter reads dirty novels! It makes me sick to think that some parents nowadays actually value their child's happiness in place of keeping them away from fowl language! Children should not be allowed to read this book! Not only does this book make multiple crude references to that which God does not want me to speak of, but it portrays running away from summer camp as a good thing!
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