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Parents' Guide to

Panic

By Kate Pavao, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Tense tale of teens facing fears to win risky competition.

Book Lauren Oliver Coming of Age 2014
Panic Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 14+

Based on 3 parent reviews

kyrabrin
kyrabrin Adult
April 4, 2019
age 14+

Great teen read

I read this as my novel for a 12th grade English class, and ended up loving it. I know there are complaints about the amount of swearing invoked from the characters, but me being an 18 year old and of similar age to the characters. It seemed to be a realistic amount of swearing (surprising as that may seem to some).
Jennifer P.
Jennifer P. Parent of 1, 3 and 10-year-old
May 13, 2017
age 14+

Wonderful Suspense!

This book is absolutely amazing! I read it in two days and I learned a lot of it. First, know that this is a book where graduating seniors take part in deadly challenges for money. A girl plays Russian roulette, they have to stay in a burning building, etc. Also, there references to sexual activity in this book. For example, a guy wonders what a girl would look like with no clothes on, and a girl 'does it' with a guy from a modeling agency because it says it will make her look prettier. Finally, it does involve quite a lot of swearing. It seems that on every page there is a 'shit' or 'fuck'. Overall, this is wonderful, and it teaches kids not to do what these kids are doing. I just wouldn't let any of my kids read it yet.
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What's the Story?

Life in Carp, N.Y., is pretty dead-end, which is why so many graduating high school seniors play Panic. The game of escalating -- and often life-risking -- dares finally finishes at summer's end when a lone winner takes the pot, collected all year from the entire student body. This year the pot is $67,000. That money would mean everything to Heather, allowing her to leave the trailer park she lives in with her often high mother and build a new life for her and her younger sister. Meanwhile, Dodge is focused on revenge against a family he blames for leaving his sister in a wheelchair after a Panic game gone bad. As the competition heats up -- and Heather and Dodge continue to advance -- readers will wonder: Will either of them get what they're really after?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (2 ):

The premise of PANIC is pretty genius, and readers will find themselves having to take a break to catch their breaths during some of the challenges. In one, blindfolded competitors must cross six lanes of highway traffic, and clever readers will know that when Heather goes to work for a woman caring for two abandoned tigers that the big cats are going to play some role in the game.

Author Lauren Oliver sets her story in a well-drawn and depressing town, creating a convincing reason for her teen characters to put their lives on the line for a chance to get out. She builds the tension well, too, right up to a final night of chicken races on a country road. But, even then, there are some surprising twists for the protagonists to navigate.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the competition. Does it seem realistic that so many teens would compete in challenges that could kill them?

  • Have you read other books about young people competing with their lives (like, say, in The Hunger Games)? How does Panic compare?

  • Does writing about fictional teens doing dangerous dares make real-life teens more likely to do them? Or do you think it's pretty clear the challenges here go too far?

Book Details

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