Parents' Guide to

An Abundance of Katherines

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Funny, quirky tale of slacker geeks' road trip to Tennessee.

Book John Green Contemporary Fiction 2006
An Abundance of Katherines Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 15+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Braedon P.
Braedon P. Parent
September 18, 2017
age 14+

An Abudamce Of Katherines

First off praise John Green he is an amazing author for young adult only!This book was so good!But it had its adult parts such as Language (Hell, S**t, D**n, B*****d, and A*s)It also had sex in it like references to man boobs and a girl taking off her shirt and Colin referring to that his other girlfriends had black bras and blue bras but Lindsey's was Purple.A descriptive sex scene.So alcohol references and chewing tobacco.A strong descriptive fist fight and the whole book is about Katherine breaking up with Colin so.... PG-13 for Sexual material throughout and Language.Drug content, and some violence

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
HM Hues
HM Hues Adult
July 14, 2017
age 13+

Another Side of John Green

Unlike some of John Green's more popular books, this book isn't depressing or necessarily deep. This book is a very witty and an on-the-surface sort of book which is refreshing. I've read plenty of JG books, and though I've loved all the different voices he has used, I feel this one is particularly clever because JG's wit shines throughout the whole book. A brief summary if the two main characters sounds like the start of a joke itself: two high school graduates, a nerdy guy who's heart is broken, and an overweight Arabic kid, go on a road trip... This book is spectacularly clever and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Colin is a former child prodigy who has just graduated from high school as valedictorian -- and has just been dumped by the 19th girl he's dated named Katherine (well, 18th, really: One of them dumped him twice). He is in a deep funk, worried that all of his early promise will add up to nothing, and that his talents -- for absorbing knowledge, working hard, languages, trivia, and anagrams -- aren't really of any use in the real world. When his best friend, Hassan, a genial if lazy lout, decides Colin needs a road trip, they soon wash up in Gutshot, Tennessee, where they get a job recording oral histories from the town's residents. While there, Colin works on what he sees as his last shot at mattering: a mathematical formula to predict the course of romantic relationships: the Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (40):

This delightful exercise in geek chic hums along on the strength of three central characters who have failed to live up to their potential -- and also have no clue what their potential is. There's no real plot to speak of, no action except for one fight, and the text assumes at least a tolerance of, if not interest in, the things that interest Colin -- and the author. And even fans may be disappointed in Colin's rather obvious and trite revelations and epiphanies, which are expounded on at great length.

Ultimately, though, readers who like intriguing characters and intellectual play will find this book lots of fun. And teens will certainly relate to the anxieties and fears of these young adults about to embark on the greatest adventure of their lives: adulthood.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about road trip stories. Can you think of any other books -- or even movies -- that feature teens or young adults hitting the road in search of themselves?

  • Why are road trip stories so popular? Why do they make for good stories?

  • Have you read other John Green books? How does this one compare? Do you think he understands teens well and that his work reflects their real lives?

Book Details

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