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Markus and the Girls

(2009, Fiction - Friendship, Written by Klaus Hagerup)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Funny story of young love is full of antics and heart.

Themes in this book include:   dating/crushes, family relationships, friendship, growing up

Why We Rated This on for Ages 12 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    The kids in the book put on the play, Romeo and Juliet, and as the characters learn their parts, readers are exposed to quotes and scenes from Shakespeare's play.

  • Messages:

    The characters exhibit the qualities of good friends, as seen when Markus and Sigmund get into a fight but then tell each other how they feel and apologize. The four main characters form a boy/girl friendship club in which they decide that boys and girls can be just friends, give advice, and have fun.  Mons also shows good fatherly qualities when he openly communicates and is always there for Markus. Overall, the kids are sweet, smart, and funny, and the adults are helpful, honest, and earnest.

  • Role models:

    While Markus has sequential and numerous crushes on girls, his focus is on romance and affection rather than kissing or sexuality.  Markus is capricious about his affections, but he knows how to be a good friend to both boys and girls. His dad and the teachers in Markus' life are endearingly human, as they exhibit their own frail yet lovable ways.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Mona slaps Sigmund.

  • Sex:

    Sigmund teases Markus about all his crushes and suggests "castration" as a cure.  When Markus is angry, he imagines Sigmund and Ellen Christine kissing and maybe getting pregnant.  The word "nymphomaniac" is used.  Sigmund and Mona kiss.  There is some "acting" kissing in play practice and in the play.  One boy says, "Mona has breasts almost as nice as Madonna's."

  • Language:

    "Damn," "bastard," "hell," "asshole," "Goddamned" are all uttered.

  • Consumerism:

    Leonardo DiCaprio is mentioned a lot, Donald Duck, Madonna, Anthony Hopkins. The characters have posters of Mel Gibson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Madonna, Brad Pitt.  The movie Legends of the Fall is mentioned adoringly several times.  McDonalds is also mentioned.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Markus' dad smokes one cigarette and he and his date drink champagne.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Markus and the Girls

Parents need to know that while the action of this book is all about Markus trying to get the girl, his whimsical affections are based in romance rather than sex. Markus' mom died when he was very young and he lives with his father, but the absence of the mother is not an issue in the story. Originally published in Norway and translated into English, the Norwegian publisher suggests an age range of 14-17 years, but the story is about middle school kids and is appropriate for that age group.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about crushes.  Why do kids change their "crush" so often?  Have you and a friend ever had a crush on the same person?  Did it challenge your friendship?  How did you resolve it?  Do you think movies (like Legends of the Fall in this story) depict realistic love stories?
  • Families can talk about friendship.  Do you have a good friend of the opposite gender?  How did you become friends? Have you ever been in an argument with a friend?  How did you resolve it?  Did you ever develop a crush on a friend?
  • Families can talk about the story setting.  Could you tell the story took place in Norway?  Could it have taken place anywhere?  Did you notice any language that was different?  Do you think the kids in this book were similar to kids at your school?
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