Quick Guide for Parents:
Target Age Range: Publisher says 12 & Up, but I say 8-Adult
Foul Language: None
Sexual Content: Mild flirtation, heterosexual courtship (minor part of story)
Violence: Battle scene, occasional mild violence or attempted violence. Nothing too graphic.
Quality of Writing: Excellent
Entertainment Value: Excellent
This was a highly entertaining story that I whole heartedly recommend. I read it aloud to my 12, 10, and 9 year old, and they couldn't get enough. This was our first Garth Nix book and we will obviously be checking out more of his prolific work.
Noteworthy themes in this story are female empowerment, traditional gender role upsets (e.g. Snow White is a man, and some of the dwarves are women--tastefully done, nothing offensive,) and the foundational reliance on the rule of law and the consent of the governed in an agreeable society.
There was some challenging vocabulary, in a good way. Kids should be able to pick up new words from context. If I put my grammar police hat on, there were some instances of the wrong use of who vs. whom, but that is the way people speak these days. Also, Nix wrongly used the phrase "begs the question," which is one of my pet peeves. However, it's used wrongly so often today, that it has almost overtaken the old meaning. This is a little sad because it's a great phrase in its original use. Click the link above to see what it really means. Comment below if you knew already.
Frogkisser keeps you on the edge of your seat with cliff-hanger chapter endings and a swift pace to the story. Adults will laugh out loud alongside their kids. Garth Nix is clearly a clever, well read, and very creative person. Go get this book and start reading it with your kids!
I'm reviewing kids' books on Steemit because when I go to the library and my kids are browsing, I'm usually wishing there was a quick guide for parents on books like there are for movies. Parents need to be equipped to know what material their kids are getting into. I leave out plot info because I want to be brief and I don't want to spoil it, but I will include it in the future if it's necessary. Hope this helps my fellow parents out there.
Please upvote if you found this review helpful, and or leave a comment below on what else you'd like to see in the quick guide or in the extended part of the review.
Thanks!