Tuck Everlasting

I think the reviewer is off in saying this book is for 9 year olds. My two 9 year old boys called it "too creepy." I stopped at page 41 and won't resume again until my boys are 11 or 12 or so. There was a bit of boy/girl attraction with "And he seemed so glorious to Winnie that she lost her heart at once" and "He was even more beautiful up close." The author describes what the boy is wearing from the girl's perspective which felt . . . like we were checking the boy out. Later Winnie is surprised to find out that being kidnapped is not what she expected, "Winnie had always been haunted by visions of what it would be like to be kidnapped." She expected "burly men" who left her "pleading for mercy." Yeah, not what my kids want to hear as a nighttime story. I'm sure it's a fantastic read -- just not appropriate for kids under 11 or even 12.

This is a great little story with a realistic look at what it would be like to live forever, something many ignorantly desire. It's actually quite a sweet story about a series of unfortunate events. I don't know if the characters are particularly good role models, but Tuck and Mae do have an interesting perspective that only their situation could create and they have good intentions. The story is a bit slow in the beginning, but it's worth pushing through. I recommend this book. Final comment: I disagree with the pedophile comments made by some people. The pursuit of the 10-yr-old girl by a 17-yr-old boy should be into the context of the story. He is in no way trying to engage a 10 year old in a sexual relationship. *spoiler alert* He is trying to convince her to choose to become an immortal when she turns 17 and spend eternity with him. Think of why he is doing it? He's stuck being 17-year-old (physically and mentally), forever, and forever alone. He can't reveal his secret to anyone else and she's the only person to know the family secret. She could be his only chance to not be alone forever, and she is a likable girl that gets along with the whole family. It's still creepy, but there is a moral behaviour behind it. He wants this to be her choice. Imagine if he turned some 17-year-old girl without her consent? How do you get that without revealing a secret you are sworn to protect? If he told someone, and they rejected his offer, what then? It's definitely a situation we couldn't really understand. Like I say, it is creepy, but I feel that this situation does NOT promote Pedo behaviour like some people state.