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The True Meaning of Cleavage

(2004, Fiction - Friendship, Written by Mariah Fredericks)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 15; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Despite risque cover, this is about friendship.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 14–15

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Jess signs a volunteer sheet with such names as "Horatio Fecalmatter." Jess notes that a lot of people are afraid of cliques at school "whereas Sari and I despise them and fear no one." Jess feels like her mom wishes she were popular. Sari pursues a boy even though she knows he has a girlfriend. Sari dismisses Jess' friend as "Nerdboy."
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Not an issue.

  • Sex:

    A teacher flirts with students, earning him a spot in "the Creep Pantheon." Girls call another girl "slutty." There is an oblique but key reference to Sari performing oral sex at a party. Sari dismisses this act as "no big deal." Sari meets with this senior boy once a week while he is in a committed relationship with a girl his age.

  • Language:

    "Pissed off."

  • Consumerism:

    Prada (as in calling a popular clique the "Prada Mafia"), soda and beer brands, Silly String.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Sari threatens to skip school assemblies to go smoke; Jess notes that "my dad has promised me that if I ever start smoking, he'll rip my lungs out for free." There is beer at a party the girls attend; Sari drinks but Jess says no, even when pressured. Another friend gets drunk and throws up.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The True Meaning of Cleavage

Parents need to know that a freshman girl's one-sided relationship with an older boy causes a rift between best friends. Despite knowing David has a steady girlfriend, Sari meets him once a week to perform oral sex because she is "madly, psychotically in love" with him. It doesn't end well, and the friends learn about forgiveness, unconditional support, and trusting one's own judgment. There's some drinking at teen parties and one girl gets drunk and throws up.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about looks. Jess believes that "hotness gives you that essential self-confidence and sense of power that you can rely on forever." Her mom thinks that "hotness" isn't that important since looks fade. Who do you agree with? Families can also discuss what girls and boys can expect from a relationship, in contrast to Sari's one-sided affair with David.
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