Parents' Guide to Mistletoe

Mistletoe Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Kate Pavao By Kate Pavao , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

Heartwarming holiday fluff for teens.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 13+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

This book is really four short stories with holiday magic at their heart. The characters have different struggles (one realizes she's fallen for her best friend's boyfriend, while another, in a twist on The Gift of the Magi, wishes she could afford a real gift for her guy). In the end, all the characters learn a lesson -- and get kissed.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

There's nothing too earth-shattering here, but MISTLETOE is a sweet collection of holiday stories. Each of the four tales -- written by a pack of teen series writers -- plays upon similar themes but is distinct enough to keep readers engaged. In the end, these stories may not be particularly literary, but there are enough heartwarming moments -- and smooches -- to keep teen readers sighing happily.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about some of the common themes in holiday stories: redemption, selflessness, and even finding true love. Can you think of other holiday movies and books that play upon these themes? We tend to think of this as a powerful time of year -- is this the truth or just a nice myth?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Mistletoe Poster Image

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate