Parents' Guide to

The Whispering Trees: The Thickety, Book 2

By Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Creepy sequel has violent clashes, ethical dilemmas.

Book J.A. White Fantasy 2015
The Whispering Trees: The Thickety, Book 2 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 2+

Based on 1 parent review

age 2+

Love it

good book childrren will love it

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

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

Fans of The Thickety: A Path Begins will be happy to pick up the continuing adventures of Kara and Taff as they struggle to save themselves and do no harm in a magic-infused world. Vivid descriptions of spooky creatures, violent battles, and undead skeletal beings abound -- and some of them are former friends.

Set almost exclusively in the magical forest the kids are trapped in, the story is often oddly static. Having seen the harm that comes of magic in the first installment, Kara engages in endless ethical hand-wringing that's almost always a prelude to doing what she finds unacceptable and discovering how it's for the "greater good." As in this case: "And yet Kara couldn't stop thinking about all the creatures that might die in the process of carrying out her plan. Does it matter? Aren't human lives more important than the lives of animals? I must save Taff and Mary first if I have the power to do so!" Some readers will find this compelling; for others, it may get really old.

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.

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