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Keeping Score

(2008, Fiction - Historical Fiction, Written by Linda Park)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 9; suggested age 9.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    A child's view of '50s Dodgers and the Korean war.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 9 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Not an issue.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Maggie's dad injures his leg during a firefighting accident; innocent Korean civilians (including children) are shot to death under a bridge during the Korean War.

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Keeping Score

Parents need to know that several violent events are referred to, though not in detail, including the story of when Maggie's dad shatters his leg on duty as a firefighter. More significant is a scene recalling an incident during the Korean War when innocent civilians -- including children -- are shot while hiding underneath a bridge. Neither account is graphic, but Park does mention in the Author's Note that the bridge tragedy is "loosely" based on something that happened during the actual war.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the Korean War and why it was fought. How is it different from and similar to the Iraq war? In her author's note, Park mentions several books she used for research, including William Dannenmaier's, We Were Innocents: An Infantryman in Korea and Linda Granfield's, I Remember Korea: Veterans Tell Their Stories of the Korean War, 1950-1953. On a lighter note, kids might also want to know more about the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers, who welcomed the first black player -- Jackie Robinson -- into Major League Baseball.
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