 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Along for the Ride
- By Sarah Dessen
- Genre: Coming of Age
Common Sense Media says
More of the same from Dessen, plus lots of teen drinking.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this realistic portrayal of teen life includes drinking, romance, and some non-graphic sex. Although these teens are just out of high school, there is a lot of beer drinking done by all. The main character's parents divorce after much fighting; her mother seems notorious for drinking and seducing her grad students. On the plus side, all of the female characters are very intelligent and there's a subtheme that people can change for the better.
What's the story?
A gifted but lonely teen tries to recreate a childhood lost to a dysfunctional family by hanging out with other teens at the beach before they all head off to college in the fall. She makes her first real friends, falls in love, and discovers girls/women can be feminine and smart, all for the first time. She also manages to overcome very bad parenting, and forges new relationships with her dysfunctional mother, her absent father, and her new stepmother.
Is it any good?
The gang at the beach is into BMX, but also into partying. Too many
subplots slow this typical Dessen book down, but the problems are
overcome in the end. It has a pretty PG romance, lessons about self-acceptance and accepting others, and asks if people can change. But dysfunctional families and too many plots overwhelm everything else.
Teen readers may be bored with the whole stepmom/new baby storyline, but probably won't mind that Dessen has recycled her often-used themes of abusive parents, the power of friendship, and teens who run away from their problems. Sadly there is also a typical lack of both cultural and social diversity.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about if people can really change. What does it take to make Auden change?
If you were a celebrity sports figure, what would you do with your fame and fortune?
Is it important to care about fashion?
Why do you think Auden kept running away from people?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Every teenage girl can learn to fall in love with this story!
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not all true
Auden never lost her virginity to Eli.
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Megan's Review
I think that this is a good book. It just shows a girl who didn't have a child hood re-creating her one with a friend. Sure, she makes a few mistakes; but doesn't everyone?
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AGE
Good Book
Some people might complain about some "iffy" things. I don't understand why. This book, like all of Sarah Dessen's was a very good coming of age novel. Some people say that she loses her virginity in the novel, not true. Some people say there is heavy drinking, I only remember reading a couple of drinking scenes that were minor at most. The kids in the novel at 18 and over and are done with high school. Most high schoolers have drank a beer or two, I'm sure. Of course my kid are very young, but I recommended it to my nieces (11 & 12) and they loved it, so did their mother
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AGE
Incredible book all around for anyone
A great book. All of Sarah Dessen's novels have strong, brave, and true women as role models and Auden never had sex with Eli. Just saying.
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AGE
couldnt put it down
this book is brilliant i think that auden is very smart and i can undestand her really quite well. some points in this book are not exactly appropriate for yonger teens but mostly the book is quite tame. i couldnt put it down and stayed up into the early hours of the morning trying to finish this brilliant book. i belive that this book will be good for anyone that wants to read about a character they can relate to
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AGE
Good for tweens and teens, especially grades 5-8
I think "Along for The Ride" is a great book for middle schoolers. Some parents may think it's a little mature for elementary schoolers but I read books like it in the 4th and 5th grade, so I think it would be fine for 4th and 5th grade but no younger. It is a little mature, has a little non-graphic sex, and drinking, but most of the drinking is just wine, and most kids' parents drink wine around them anyway. And if kids didn't already know what non-graphic sex is like (i.e. how it is described) they may not even realize it's non-graphic sex.
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AGE
Pretty good book I must say!
I liked this book a lot! The plot was good and I thought that it gave a stong, good message, as this is how many families are: divorced parents,new step-mom, new half-brother sister, etc. I think it was one of Sarah Dessen's better books! Chuck Norris helped me approve this novel :P
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AGE
love it
love it! it just the right amount of romance, family issues, and finding your idenity!
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| Author: | Sarah Dessen |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Coming of Age |
| Publisher: | Viking |
| Publication date: | June 1, 2009 |
| Number of pages: | 383 |
| Hardcover price: | $19.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 17 |
| Read aloud: | 12 |
| Read alone: | 14 |
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