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Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head

(2008, Fiction - Family Life)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    A fun young heroine reminiscent of Ramona Quimby.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 8 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Samantha learns how to control her temper and her mother works on helping her daughters cope with the loss of their father.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Two girls get lost at the Grand Canyon, but they are found unharmed. A girl kicks a boy -- she says accidentally, he says on purpose.

  • Sex:

    A teen girl has a crush on a boy and tries to flirt with him. A middle-schooler starts to move past her "boys are gross" phase.

  • Language:

    Some name-calling and yelling among siblings and grade-school kids.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head

Parents need to know that there's not much to worry about in this novel. The family struggles with after-effects of the death of a parent and there is some sibling rivalry. There are also a couple of instances of boy-girl like typical of the age.

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