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Kendra

(2008, Fiction - Coming of Age, Written by Coe Booth)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 15, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 15.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Sexual content needs discussion in urban coming-of-age read.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 15–17

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Kendra's mother Renee is never around when Kendra needs her. Renee and Nana fight because Renee won't care for Kendra. Kendra fools around with a boy she knows her cousin likes and lies to a boy who likes her. Nana kicks Kendra out when she finds out she fooled around with a boy. People tell Kendra she should be proud of her mother, having a baby in the ninth grade but "turning her life around" to get a Ph.D. Renee hurts Kendra's feelings by telling Kendra she wished she had used protection and not gotten pregnant so young. Kendra has a positive relationship with her father.

  • Violence:

    Two girls beat up another girl, punching her everywhere on the head, chest, and stomach, while other students watch. Kendra's Nana slaps and punches her in the head and face. Adonna "jumps" Kendra after school. Adonna punches Kendra and Kendra grabs Adonna's hair weave.

  • Sex:

    Plenty of overt sexual references (when Kendra licks frosting, a boy at her table says, "Girl, the way you was licking that thing, s--t, that was like a porno movie.") and well-described scenes of oral and anal sex -- Kendra wants to make sure she technically stays a virgin in case her grandmother checks. The gynecologist puts Kendra on the Pill and gives her a bag of condoms.

  • Language:

    "Ho," "ass," "booty," "titties," "stank," "s--t," "bulls--t, "f--king," "f--k you," "asshole," "bitch," "pissed off."

  • Consumerism:

    Some brand name references, such as food products.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Nashawn gives Kendra a beer and tells her, "C'mon, try it" when she says she's never had alcohol. She drinks it because "maybe it'll make me more relaxed."
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Kendra

Parents need to know the book features a 14-year-old who has oral and anal sex with a boy at school but still considers herself a virgin. Although she feels used by this boy (he's dating her best friend while fooling around with her), she is too "weak" to resist him and has sex "without even thinking." She drinks alcohol to please him and to relax. On the positive side, he uses condoms. There is also extensive cursing and two incidences of girls beating each other up.

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about their definitions of sex and virginity. Do oral sex and anal sex count as "sex"? Do these really carry fewer emotional attachments? What does it mean to make good choices in relationships? What do teens and parents agree on? What don't you agree on? What do teens think about Nashawn's statement, "When a girl like you lets a guy like me hit it, of course I'm gonna do it. You're hot."
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