• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 13, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 14.

• Is it any good?

  5.0

• Common Sense says

  NYC teens react to 9/11 tragedy in beautiful story of hope.

Why We Rated This for Ages 14 and Up

The good stuff

• Educational value:

  A good history lesson on the 9/11 terrorist attack.
• Messages:

  Strong messages about the power of friendship and family; descriptions of how New Yorkers pulled together in the aftermath of 9/11 and showed compassion for one another. Ultimately the story is about hope and the better side of humanity.
• Role models:

  Two of the three main characters immediately want to help; they go to donate blood and look for ways to deal with the emotional impact. The third character is slower to deal with the tragedy but ultimately allows it to have a positive effect on his life and his relationships with other people. As we remember but teen readers won't, New Yorkers themselves set exemplary examples on the day of the attack and afterwards.

What to watch out for

• Violence:

  Descriptions of watching the towers fall and burn.
• Sex:

  A discussion about gay men having sex without condoms. The two main male characters go on a date and make out. 
• Language:

   A few uses of "f--k" and "s--t."
• Consumerism:

  Evocative use of songs, song lyrics, and descriptions of real concerts by groups like U2 and Travis that took place afterwards in NYC.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  The two male characters drink beer together; one of them is hungover the morning of 9/11.

What Parents Need to Know

About Love Is the Higher Law

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