Parents' Guide to

Lord of the Flies

By Kenneth Butler, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Gripping story of marooned schoolboys and their savagery.

Book William Golding Literary Fiction 1954
Lord of the Flies Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 12 parent reviews

gogetguestgreyson
gogetguestgreyson Adult
December 5, 2021
age 12+

Great book for deep discussion

I read this book in middle school and it was great for making me ask deep and theological questions about human nature. I got to have some great conversations with my son a few years ago when he read this book in 8th grade. Be forewarned, there is violence in this book.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
3 people found this helpful.
samthedragofan
samthedragofan Adult
March 4, 2021
age 14+

the classic of savagery

I think this book was great if you can look past violence in language and you can see there's a true work of art in this story. there is a few gory scenes in which a character's head gets split open by a rock and a kid is burned alive although we never get confirmation. another kid is torn apart by Spears the book overall is a great literature piece but I don't think it'd be good for anybody who can't quite understand the morals. this book is about savagery and Law and Order in about how if we were left to our own devices with no adult around we would probably descend into savagery going to our animal instincts.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Marooned on a tropical island, a group of British schoolboys are left to fend for themselves, unsupervised by any adults. At first, the boys enjoy their freedom, playing and exploring the island, but soon the group splits into two factions -- those who attempt to preserve the discipline and order they had learned from society, and those who choose to give in to every instinct and impulse, no matter how barbaric.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12):
Kids say (106):

Lord of the Flies has been a perennial favorite since its first publication in 1954, and this excellent novel is a deserved staple of school reading lists. Golding keeps his prose unadorned and straightforward, and the result is a page-turning entertainment, as well as a highly thought-provoking work of literature.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether individuals are born "good" or "evil" -- is our behavior always the result of choice?

  • How is it that good people are capable of bad behavior, and vice versa? How do you think you might behave under the circumstances of the novel?

  • Is it always best to sacrifice your own wants and needs for the common good of a community?

  • What might some of the prominent elements of the story -- the conch, Piggy’s glasses, the sow’s head, the island’s "beast" -- symbolize?

  • Lord of the Flies is considered a classic and is often required reading in school. Why do you think that is?

Book Details

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