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When She Was Good

(2000, Fiction - Contemporary Fiction, Written by Norma Mazer)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Teen survives abuse by mentally ill older sister.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–18

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    An unstable teenager is mentally and physically abusive to her younger sister, but her actions are not condoned. This character also steals money, drinks a beer, curses, and convinces her younger sister to run away from home. To survive her troubled family life, the younger sister turns to sex as a means of escape but eventually realizes it's not worth it and stops. Despite terrible odds, the younger sister relies on her inner strength (and her hope for a better future) in order to survive.

  • Violence:

    A teen is physically and emotionally abused by her unstable older sister. While the younger sister's flashbacks of abuse are not overly graphic, they're quite powerful because she describes the abuse in a stark, "just the facts" manner. Non-graphic descriptions of an alcoholic husband beating his wife.

  • Sex:

    Teen sex is implied but not described in detail. Two girls (best friends) kiss and fondle each other's breasts in a very brief scene.

  • Language:

    Variations on curse words: "frucking," "faresehole," and "sheeeeet." These words are used outright: "damn," "bitch," "hell," "crap," "screw," "ass," "piss."

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    A teenager drinks a beer; references to an alcoholic father.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About When She Was Good

Parents need to know that this story alludes to a young teen girl engaging in sexual activity with boys, and she also has a more innocent sexual encounter with a girl. An older sister mentally and physically abuses her sibling, but while the scenes are tense, most are brief and there are no graphic descriptions. There is also mention of a teen drinking beer and an alcoholic father abusing his wife. Use of curse words is minimal, and the worst words are twisted in form (such as "frucking"). The main character suffers the trauma of losing her mother at a young age and witnessing her older sister's sudden death.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about Em's troubled family life. Why do you think Em ran away from home with her abusive sister Pamela? How was Em able to survive such awful circumstances?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Adult Reviewer
    caitlin89
    Lives in Iowa
    I rate this title on for age 14 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Quite Good!

    I read this book when I was 14 and I loved it! I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 14!

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Adult Reviewer
    Anonymous
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 2.0

    Good Book... But for More-Mature Audiesnces

    "When She Was Good" is a pretty good book. I enjoyed it, but there is some violence, language, and sexual content that makes it for older, more-mature audiences only.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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