Parents' Guide to

The Sledding Hill

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Ghost boy tells the story of a book-banning.

Book Chris Crutcher School 2005
The Sledding Hill Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all
age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

hunter85
hunter85 Adult
November 24, 2011
age 15+

Review, good

The book was a good read. It really got into the issue of death of family and friends, dealing with it, and trying to do what you think is right. It does possess opposition to authority to the degree that students are expected to do what they are told and not encouraged to be free thinkers. The main character goes against these values of educators and religious leaders. The issue of censorship is the main focus after dealing with death of close ones.

This title has:

Great messages
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Eddie has a lot to deal with. His father and his best friend, Billy, are both killed accidentally within a month, and Eddie is the one who finds both bodies. Now he's being haunted by Billy, who's also the narrator of the story. His mother is being drawn further in to a fundamentalist church, led by Reverend Tarter, who's also an English teacher at Eddie's school and is trying to manipulate Eddie into joining the saved, while working with his congregation to get a book banned at school. That book, Warren Peece, is a made-up book by the real author of this book, Chris Crutcher, who becomes a character in his own book when he gets involved in the effort to stop the banning. And that book happens to be the only meaningful thing Eddie has found to help him deal with his grief. So Eddie, though he hasn't spoken since he found Billy's body, is determined to save the book, and to take down the reverend at the same time.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (4 ):

This story of a book-banning makes a provocative case for freedom, but sometimes the characters seem to act as the author's mouthpiece. The Sledding Hill is a diatribe cloaked in humor, a mostly enjoyable read that addresses a compelling issue in a way that will get kids talking.

In real life, Chris Crutcher's books have been the target of censorship efforts, and here he takes on would-be book-banners directly by writing a book in which they will find no bad language, sex acts, or violence, but the content is designed to be objectionable to them anyway.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about censorship in The Sledding Hill. Is it ever right to ban a book? Should there be any restrictions on what children read?

  • Does religion have a place in school? Where do the rights of the individual and family begin and end?

  • What did you think of the author putting himself in his own novel?

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 suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended book lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

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