Parent reviews for Our Only May Amelia

My 9 year old was supposed to read this for summer reading. I am glad I read it first because there was no way I was going to let her read it. There is talk about a man committing suicide, a woman is murdered and they sew her body back up the the kitchen, the grandmother is abusive and the main character finds her infant sister dead in her crib. I also find it very annoying that quotation makers are not used for any dialogue in the book

I will probably be labeled a prude for this review, and that's ok. I know that other families do things differently from our family. Again, that's ok. But, I feel that there are some parents who might want to know that there are some violent pages with an older man shooting a gun at children, and a grandmother who beats the children with her walking stick. You might also want to know, if you are not yet comfortable with your children using questionable language, that you will encounter the word, "Goddammit," and that May Amelia's father and her uncle use vodka as a stress-reliever. May Amelia's aunt also proudly announces that, though she is unmarried, she has a "gentleman friend" who provides her with money and fancy dresses. I like that May Amelia is strong and more than a dainty, passive little mouse. I was not crazy about the message that racial tensions were non-existent in 1899, being a "kept woman" was perfectly socially acceptable, and that booze is the answer to a stressful situation.