How It Went Down

Thanks to their detailed reviews, commonsensemedia.org is usually spot-on. Not in this case. If you didn't read the specifics, be warned when they say it is appropriate for a 10-year-old! Violence Though not gratuitous, there is a fair amount of violence, including the murder of an unarmed teenager. Both the shooting and the blood are described, as is the administering of CPR from a bystander. A man is beaten, people are threatened with knives, a man is threatened with stabbing, and a teenager roughly handles a girl and injures her. Another scene depicts a small child accidently cutting herself. Sex There is discussion of girls being sexy and allusions to teens having sex, though nothing beyond kissing is described. A slang term for losing virginity, "breaking cherry," is used. Teens are shown "grinding" (dancing close), and a married man is tempted to engage in an affair with a 19-year-old woman. They share a kiss, and he actively stares at her body, including her breasts and hips. A boy walks in on his father having sex with someone who's not his mother and describes hearing huffing and puffing. Language Strong language used consistently in conversation and as exclamations, including "a--hole," "f--k," "s--t," "bastard," "damn." "pissed," "ass," and "bitchy." Drinking, drugs, & smoking Teens are shown smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes. An adult sells an underage teen cigarettes; adults drink alcohol and are described as alcoholics. Teens sell drugs." Btw, I gave this three stars because I didn't actually read it - while it might be a great book for older kids, I just can't imagine why they rated it okay for a 10-year-old!