The Time Fetch

Time getting eaten away is shown by buildings decaying rapidly and cracks everywhere leading to an empty abyss. Two panthers threaten and then fight each other, drawing blood and crunching bones. An imprisonment by hags that make Feenix do chores and cook small animals and one cat they catch. Edward says he doesn't remember his mom, who died when he was young. Brigit remembers how her baby brother died in his sleep and listens to her mom cry every night; she stops talking after the event. Brigit also has a grandfather with dementia.

Brigit and Danton have a mutual crush but don't do anything about it. A brief mention of people with their hands all over each other in the park. Plus Mr. Ross explains the Greek myth of Dionysus in which naked women devour an unfortunate naked male sacrifice.

A handful of clever substitutes: "crudbuckets," "rat crud," "butt-faced blankety-blankety," "twerpy bleepsters," and "bleeping."

Mr. Ross explains how in Greek myth a male sacrifice was plied with wine and the women running after him would "drink themselves into a fine madness."

Parents need to know that The Time Fetch is a light fantasy in which four middle schoolers from different backgrounds come together to save the day. Readers will get a science and folklore lesson about the nature of time and the solstice as the main characters try to keep the world from turning to nothingness. One character is imprisoned and chased by hags, and three kids try not to watch as two panthers fight to the death (the only gory moment, and it's brief). There's a mention of Brigit's baby brother dying in his sleep and how the whole family is in mourning; Brigit stops talking after the event. Expect a handful of substitutes for swear words like "twerpy bleepsters" and some talk of drinking and naked sacrifice as a teacher explains Greek mythology regarding the solstice -- as close as you'll get to any real mature content in this light fantasy.