Handpicked by Our Editors

Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson
Age 5+
4

Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson

Why We Recommend It

Jackie Robinson was special on the baseball field and off. His daughter's bio of the slugger-as-dad emphasizes courage.

Read our full review
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showing: family life
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Wild Girl
Parents Need to Know...

that a few sad moments won’t ruin this book for girls who love horse stories. Livie's mother died when she was 7; a horse falls during a race; a young horse is taken away from its mother when it is sold. Moments of growth become moments ... read more

Age 9+
Wild Girl
3
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Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Parents Need to Know...

that this novel, published in 1868, contains outdated (but time-period appropriate) gender roles and many religious references. read more

Age 10+
Little Women
4
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King of the Screwups by K. L. Going
Parents Need to Know...

that this novel for teens has many sexual references, and a scene in which a boy and girl undress each other, but are interrupted before they can have sex. There is also a fair amount of swearing and many approving references to clothing ... read more

Age 14+
King of the Screwups
5
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City Boy by Jan Michael
Parents Need to Know...

that the main character, like many others where he lives, has been orphaned by AIDS, and there is a brief mention that it is caused by sex. Otherwise the content here is mild: a brief boyhood fight, a few brands mentioned. read more

Age 9+
City Boy
4
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The Beef Princess of Practical County by Michelle Houts
Parents Need to Know...

that there is little to be concerned with here, and much to admire. Libby's family is a shining example of the kind of virtues we associate with family farmers. read more

Age 9+
The Beef Princess of Practical County
4
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If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a book for teens. In addition to plenty of swearing and sexual references (and one scene of not-very-veiled mutual masturbation), it deals with the aftermath of a gruesome accident in which a character is trying to decide ... read more

Age 14+
If I Stay
4
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Sassy Series by Sharon M. Draper
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a lighthearted, happy look at middle school and family life. There's no questionable content. read more

Age 9+
Sassy Series
3
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Forever Rose by Hilary McKay
Parents Need to Know...

that there is little to be concerned with here: one character cuts herself rather badly in a fall, and some commercial brands are mentioned. read more

Age 9+
Forever Rose
4
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Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
Parents Need to Know...

this book highlights 1970s-era Indian customs that will seem very sexist (and likely unimaginable) to contemporary American girls. Asha and Reet's mother suffers from depression; the sisters must deal with a rumor that their father ... read more

Age 12+
Secret Keeper
3
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I, Lorelei by Yeardley Smith
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a book that deals with a family going through divorce, school issues, and the loss of a pet. There are also discussions about infidelity and some teasing of students who don't fit in at school. read more

Age 9+
I, Lorelei
4
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Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls
Parents Need to Know...

that this book, while funny and often uplifting, may trouble young readers. The young protagonist struggles to answer many questions, including the one most important to him: Why do kids have to die? read more

Age 11+
Ways to Live Forever
4
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Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
Parents Need to Know...

that this is an emotional book about a girl dealing with a disturbed and neglectful mother. There is also a description of her first period. read more

Age 9+
Waiting for Normal
4
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Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña
Parents Need to Know...

that, amidst plenty of swearing and fistfights, there is one brutally graphic scene in which a man is beaten, probably to death, and then run over, snapping his bones. read more

Age 14+
Mexican Whiteboy
4
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Piper Reed: Navy Brat by Kimberly Willis Holt
Parents Need to Know...

that there is some mild name calling and sibling rivalry in this book, as well as good examples of family communication. read more

Age 7+
Piper Reed: Navy Brat
4
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Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis
Parents Need to Know...

that this is the 8th Book to Grow By created by the Jamie Lee Curtis/Laura Cornell team. All eight deal playfully and respectfully with some aspect of kid behavior. This one considers mostly behavioral kinds of words kids hear every day ... read more

Age 4+
Big Words for Little People
4
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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. read more

Age 8+
Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head
3
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Would You by Marthe Jocelyn
Parents Need to Know...

that this novel deals with a teen getting hit by a car and ending up in a coma, and how this impacts her family. The topic of death is handled sensitively and realistically, but it may disturb some readers. Characters talk like real ... read more

Age 14+
Would You
4
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Mail Harry to the Moon! by Robie H. Harris
Parents Need to Know...

that this book offers an opportunity to talk about some pretty ugly (and pretty normal) feelings that big kids sometimes have about their younger siblings. read more

Age 4+
Mail Harry to the Moon!
4
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Let's Eat!/A Comer! by Pat Mora
Parents Need to Know...

that this is a short and sweet story with both the English and Spanish version contained in the same book. read more

Age 3+
Let's Eat!/A Comer!
3
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My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath
Parents Need to Know...

that it's implied that Jane's mom has had children with several different men, and that Jane is choked and dragged away by a drunken, abusive man. read more

Age 11+
My One Hundred Adventures
4
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Going, Going, Gone! with the Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume
Parents Need to Know...

that a younger brother ("the Pain") and older sister ("the Great One") call each other by nicknames and bicker constantly. There are some mildly tense moments: The Pain ends up in the emergency room with a seed pod up his nose on one ... read more

Age 6+
Going, Going, Gone! with the Pain and the Great One
3

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Common Sense Media's book reviews and ratings for all ages are based on child development principles. We give you trustworthy information so you can pick what's best for your family. We may know media, but you're the expert on your kids.

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