Is Common Sense Media Enough?

When I started describing my blog to a local librarian, she responded with only, “Have you heard of Common Sense Media?”*

Of course I have!  Although I don’t often consult the site, I think it provides a much needed service.  Clearly I agree that reviews and age ratings are valuable to parents, educators, librarians and lovers of books.

So why did I even bother creating a blog about book content when something so vast and easily accessible already existed?  Because I believe I have something to more to offer: more detail, more discussion, more nuanced information to help you decide what’s right for you and the young readers you love.

To show you what I mean, here’s a comparison of some of our reviews.

Common Sense Media review of The Hunger Games
My review of The Hunger Games

What’s Different?
While Common Sense Media believes that “[i]t’s not unduly gory”, my review tells a different story, marking where flesh of a dead person disintegrates in the main characters hands; how the book describes that when one girl died they “literally had to scrape her bits off the ground”; that the parts of humans have been reassembled into wolf-like creatures that hunt other humans to the death, including eating them alive.  Is that unduly gory?  I guess it depends on your perception, but in my mind, yes, those things would qualify the book as extremely gory indeed.

Common Sense Media review of Eleanor & Park
My review of Eleanor & Park.

What’s Different?
Common Sense Media brings up the abuse that Eleanor suffers, referring to it as her stepfather “acts threateningly toward Eleanor, who hates him and is frightened of him.” Spoiler: Eleanor’s situation with her stepfather is abuse, verbal and sexual abuse. While the Common Sense Media folk use the term “abuse” to refer to the physical treatment of Eleanor’s mother, they only call his treatment of Eleanor threatening. We have enough trouble these days getting teens and adults to recognize abuse that is not physical in nature and to call it by its proper name, a major outlet that reviews content should not be afraid to call it what it is. I’m also interested in what standard they use for giving something a four in language rather than a five. In their breakdown they make absolutely no mention of the word “cunt” which makes an appearance (which in my opinion is every bit as noteworthy as the f-word). They mention that the strong language is used “realistically”, and I’m not going to argue that, because I’ve heard teenagers and I have been a teenager, and there is quite a bit of swearing involved from what I’ve seen. But there is a difference between knowing that swearing happens realistically and using the work “fucking” seven times in the first two pages. For me, that crosses a line into excess that I think my blog readers would like to know about.

Common Sense Media review of Lola and the Boy Next Door
My Review of Lola and the Boy Next Door

What’s Different?
Much like the law, I don’t make you guess. A sexual relationship between a 17 year old and a 22 year old is statutory rape. Again, while Common Sense Media writes down that a teen is dating an older guy and give their ages, it’s another thing to call it what it is. Illegal. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen in real life, or that it shouldn’t happen in books. But I am saying that adults should know that it occurs in this book and be prepared to discuss it with the kids they care about. Also, I won’t bury important information. If you don’t click one of the side categories on Common Sense Media, you won’t know that Lola has two dads. Is this a big deal? Yeah, kinda. For some families, this is a book they’ve been looking for – a book with LBGT characters! For others, this is a book to avoid, because their own family values dictate that a relationship between two men is morally wrong. I think I’ve made it clear on my blog that I believe in equality and love diverse books but fundamentally, I’m not the one making the call for your family. I’m here to give you information that I think you need.

What else is different?
Common Sense Media has tons of books – more than I could ever possibly cover. But it doesn’t mean they have the same books as I do! While they review Princess Academy, a lovely middle grades offering by Shannon Hale, they don’t cover any of her other books! I’ve got several reviews of Shannon Hale books along with the much needed content ratings as most of her offerings are not quite as appropriate for elementary school readers.

Speak to me of racism!
The only review of Indian in the Cupboard offered on Common Sense Media is for the movie version (which I have not seen), it offers the tagline ” Classic, heartwarming fantasy will rivet kids.” There is no mention of how it might in any way be deemed offensive. None. Our current truth is that 50 US Senators (that’s half!) recently sent a letter to the NFL urging the Washington Redskins to change the team name. So we can only hope that elsewhere we are examining books, movies and other cultural touchstones to make sure they are not derogatory, racist or reinforcing negative stereotypes. My review of Indian in the Cupboard calls immediate attention to the tone of the book, urging families who want to read it to engage in frank discussions about it afterward. Whether I’m reading classics or modern books I try to point out instances of racism, questionable treatment of gender issues and other social issues that families may want to address or avoid. (Off topic aside: Indian in the Cupboard got only one fewer dot for language than Eleanor & Park, despite having only “”Hell,” “damn,” and “ass” uttered by the adults occasionally.” I’m not sure I’m understanding their rating system!)

Middle Grades Reads!
Did you know there’s not a single Dan Gutman book on Common Sense Media? Dan Gutman was one of the reigning kings of elementary school books when I was teaching!  They don’t have any Wendy Mass books either!  I will continue to provide reviews of books for children of all ages.

Diversity ahoy!
I seek out books with characters from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and races. I read and review books about characters with autism and Tourette Syndrome and I call attention to these interesting characters (note, Common Sense Media’s review of Al Capone Does My Shirts makes the briefest possible note about autism and does not even mention how it relates to the story).  I’ve shared the amazing Flygirl about an African-American girl passing as white in order to fly during World War II.  I’ve introduced you to Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs, a selection written on a third grade reading level that will interest third graders and older students alike.  Common Sense Media has covered exactly two Grace Lin books, ignoring her fabulous Pacy Lin series.  You can count on my continued coverage of books featuring all kinds of characters!

Professional advice
In addition to book reviews, I’m always eager and willing to talk about reading and the issues that surround book selection.  It’s one thing to say “oh The Hunger Games is too violent for young children” but I’m happy to share why I think it should be saved for older children and also how to help your child in the face of peer pressure.   I’m here to help you navigate book selection for your precocious little ones as well.  Having an early reader is an wonderful thing, but it can be hard trying to find a book that matches their ability level with content they will appreciate, understand and enjoy.

And so, despite being a small blog without the resources and pure wide range coverage of a site like Common Sense Media, I hope you’ll continue to stop by for the specialized content reviews that I provide here at Between These Pages.

*Lest you think I accost random unsuspecting librarians trying to shill my blog, I swear, my son has been going to her storytime for the past 9 months and we are on friendly terms, and the context was that the person in line before me had just asked her if a book was appropriate for her child.