Grab a box of your favorite candy and take a romp through this fast-paced read on the life of Wendy…or is his name Ethan…. who is he anyway?
This Book is Not Yet Rated is the story of Ethan who manages a falling down, decrepit theater and his band of lost boys (and some girls, too) who staff the last vestiges of this old school bastion. The all call him Wendy, although Peter Pan would probably be a better fit. He isn’t very old and the story centers around the enormous burden of trying to save the theater that he has taken upon himself. Throughout the book you are introduced to his past and why he values this location so much.
The story line in this is great. While Ethan and his friend Raina deal with heavy topics, it is done in an approachable manner that is neither too overly sentimental nor too callous. Bognanni treats the topics with appropriate reverence and age maturity. The surrounding cast of characters is developed just enough to add color to the story, but back stories aren’t heavy and don’t drag down the plot line.
Throughout the book are sprinkled bits of film trivia and references to classic and little-known films. I loved the glimpse into film noir and even wrote a few notes of movies to check out at a later date. I also loved the chapter dividers that explained film terms in language that was easy to understand with examples provided.
The pages of this book flipped through like frames of a film and readers will enjoy this heartwarming tale of finding oneself in the place one loves.
Review of an Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Dial Books for Young Readers
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 18 religious exclamations; 18 mild obscenities; 5 religious profanities; 4 derogatory names; 12 scatological words; 14 anatomical terms; 1 offensive hand gesture and 4 F-word derivatives.
Violence/Gore: References to father’s death; attempted murder of rat (comical); references to civil unrest and police brutality in the past; comical scene with a crashed scooter resulting in injured arm; movie description of household appliances attacking and eating humans; foot run over by a bike; pushing and shoving.
Sex/Nudity: Reference to having someone by the genitals; reference to pasties covering genitals; naked butt depicted in movie and reference to pornographic scenes; girl discusses being photo-shopped into pornography; teens sleep in same bed; hand hold; hug.
Mature Subject Matter:
Financial pressures, depression, anxiety, separation, death of a parent, divorce, infidelity, stealing.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Use of marijuana both smoked and in liquid form; adults smoke; adults and older teens drink wine and beer.
