Bog Child

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Lyrical but realistic; teens may need Irish history lesson.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that teens smoke, drink, get drunk, make out, and come close to having sex. The story takes place during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and is based on real events at the Long Kesh prison.  There are bombings and suicidal hunger strikes, and while he author's notes provides a little context, readers will need some help understanding the Troubles and the terminology of Provos and Unionists and Sinn Fein. Even so, this book may inspire teens to learn more about this painful time in history. See our recommended media for other Irish stories to consider.

  • This story is based on real events at the Long Kesh prison. The author's notes provide a little context, but readers will need some help understanding the Troubles and the terminology of Provos and Unionists and Sinn Fein. Even so, this book may inspire teens to learn more about this painful time in history. See our recommended media for other Irish stories to consider.

     

  • Fegus loves his brother, but befriends a Welsh soldier. As the Publishers Weekly review states, this book succeeds in "powerfully bringing home the impact of political conflict on innocent bystanders."
  • Fergus and his family are lovely characters. Readers will learn a lot from Fergus, especially, who is caught literally at the border of many political tensions.  He may sometimes act unlawfully, but he is relatable, ad his story gives readers a good entry point into a complicated time in history.
  • A woman is stabbed by a friend before she can be hung, death through hunger-strikes, a bomb blows up a car and soldiers, a man is murdered by being hit in the head with a rock, a man kicks a boy in the ribs.
  • Kissing and making out; condoms; two teens are in bed together in a sexual situation but do not actually have sex; reference to "screwing."
  • "S--t," "feck," "f--k," "bitch."
  • Not applicable.
  • Smoking of cigarettes (called "fags" in British slang), drinking and drunkenness are part of the culture.

What's the story?

Fergus lives in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. He's got a lot going on: He knows his exams are his only ticket out, but he's also dealing with his brother, an imprisoned IRA fighter, who is on a hunger strike, and he's being pressured into secretly carrying mysterious packages back and forth across the border. Fergus and his uncle discover a body buried in a bog, which turns out to be nearly 2000 years old. Archeologists arrive to argue over the find and which country owns it, and Fergus finds himself falling for one of their daughters. He also starts having strange dreams about the life of the girl whose body they found. Includes an author's note that gives a brief look at the book's context.


Is it any good?

 

This is a lovely book about an unlovely time and place -- a grim Northern Irish town in the early '80s. Fergus and his family are appealing characters living through exceptionally difficult events, and the parallel story of the long-ago life of Mel, the bog child, seen through Fergus' troubled dreams, adds resonance and depth to the story. Especially touching are Fergus' forbidden friendship with a young British border guard, and his family's division and desperation over his brother Joe's hunger strike: "Oh, Joe. The consequences. On you, on us, on all of us. Did you think of them? Did you?"

Basing the story on real events at the Long Kesh prison, the late author, British herself, assumes that her readers know all about the Troubles, and understand the terminology of Provos and Unionists and Sinn Fein. She helps them out with only the briefest of Author's Notes, and no glossary. American teens will need some help with context, either by explaining it to them or pointing them toward researching it for themselves. Without that context the story is still readable, but makes a whole lot less sense.

 


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about historical fiction. Why is it important to read about events that happened in the past? Does reading a fictional story like this make a different impression on you than reading facts in a history book? How so?

  • What do you know about the history of this time? Does the author's note explain enough -- or do you need a greater context? Families interested in learning more about the Troubles might want to consider visiting the BBC's Web site


This review was written by Matt Berman
Teen, 14 years old
December 26, 2010
 
Not What I Expected
I listened to this book on CD when I was only 12. I was surprised at the sexual content, violence, and language. It is an amazing story and will teach kids a lot, but I was definitely too young for it at the time.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 14 years old
October 12, 2010
 
for 13 and up
It's the best story ever

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 16 years old
March 2, 2010
 
boring
i thought the book was okay but it was alittle bit boring because not much actually happened. I wouldn't reccomend it because its quite hard to keep interes.

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This review was written by Matt Berman
Author:Siobhan Dowd
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Historical Fiction
Publisher:David Fickling Books
Publication date:September 9, 2008
Number of pages:321
Hardcover price:$16.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):12 - 12

This review was written by Matt Berman
 

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About our rating system
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.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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