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Tales from Outer Suburbia

(2009, Fiction - Short Stories, Written by Shaun Tan, Illustrated by Shaun Tan)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 10.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    15 surrealist tales by a master illustrator.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 10 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    Not an issue.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    A reference to a man who has beaten his dog to death.

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Tales from Outer Suburbia

Parents need to know that there is little to be concerned with here, but that this strange collection of tales, though it looks like a picture book, is really aimed at teens. There's nothing much that's objectionable for younger readers, but they won't like it much unless they have a taste for the bizarre, ambiguous, and intellectually and emotionally complex.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about each story in detail. Both text and especially pictures reward careful and repeated scrutiny and discussion. For example, in the story "Eric," why is he drawn that way? Why is he that size? What are the questions he is asking? What are the peanuts all about? What is the gift that he left, and why is it so magical?
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