The Ear, the Eye and the Arm

The kids are in constant peril: They're kidnapped, enslaved, and ultimately threatened with torture and death. In one culture, people believe that to wake the gods, human sacrifices must be tortured. In another, people suspected of witchcraft must drink a poison that makes them vomit or have diarrhea. In a final face-off, several characters are wounded, and spirits come to life, possessing characters and a frightening mask.

Rita makes a reference to Roman orgies. In the traditional village, a girl is married at age 12 and pregnant at 14.

Several characters are alcoholics. The She Elephant makes and sells alcohol. In a bad neighborhood, "Drugs were bought as easily as bananas. Beer halls blasted music that made everyone's ribs rattle."

Parents need to know that Nancy Farmer's Newbery Honor book The Ear, the Eye and the Arm is a fantasy adventure set in Zimbabwe in 2194. Both child protagonists are in constant peril: They're kidnapped, enslaved, and ultimately threatened with torture and death. There are guns and shootings. In a final face-off, several characters are wounded, and spirits come to life, possessing characters and a frightening mask. In one culture, people believe that to wake the gods, human sacrifices must be tortured. In another, people suspected of witchcraft must drink a poison that makes them vomit or have diarrhea. Several characters are alcoholics. The She Elephant makes and sells alcohol. In a bad neighborhood, "Drugs were bought as easily as bananas." A character makes a reference to Roman orgies. In the traditional village, a girl is married at age 12 and pregnant at 14. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm (detectives so-named for their unusual appearance and supernatural abilities) look different because their mothers drank polluted water during pregnancy. But they use their differences to try to help people and get the kids home.