Parents' Guide to Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe

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Common Sense Media Review

Michael Berry By Michael Berry , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

More tales of immortality in bloody collection of stories.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 13+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 13+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 12+

Based on 3 kid reviews

What's the Story?

GLEANINGS is a collection of 13 stories and novellas that reveal further implications of scythedom. Some are written by Neal Shusterman in collaboration with others. In "Perchance to Glean," the characters explore gleaning while dreaming. "A Martian Minute" delivers the backstory of Carson Lusk, who would go on to future infamy. "Never Work with Animals" features a character who begins to suspect his dog is smarter than it needs to be.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 3 ):
Kids say ( 3 ):

Sometimes a concept is too delicious to let go, and this collection of supplementary tales will thrill longtime readers. With Gleanings, author Neal Shusterman and company are able to enter new territory or revisit favorite characters and settings. Newcomers need to read the original trilogy. Once up to speed, though, they're be ready for a mind-bending saga that mixes action and philosophy. Challenging, unique, and relentless, Gleanings is a welcome new component of the scythe story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Gleanings finds new stories to tell in this seting. Why are sequels and prequels so popular among readers?

  • Why do some people want to curb population growth? How might it affect climate change?

  • What might it be like to be an immortal? Would immortality create new problems for humankind?

Book Details

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