Can my teenager read All the Birds in the Sky?

I keep getting asked this question, since the book came out
last week. People want to know if they can give All the Birds in the Sky to
their 13 or 14-year-old kid. And there’s really no easy answer to that
question. It depends on the kid.

First off, I should mention up front that there’s one sex
scene in the book. And a lot of swearing. And a bit of drug use. Plus violence,
of course.

But as a friend of mine told me the other day, the correct
answer to this question is always, “You know your own child best.”
And some kids will be able to handle some sexuality and adult themes at age 13,
while others might not be ready for that same level of adult material at age
16.

I do know that another friend of mine gave All the Birds in the Sky to her
14-year-old son last week, and he read it in one sitting—apparently he enjoyed
it, except the sections set in middle school gave him unpleasant flashbacks to
his own recent experiences. I also know that the 14-year-old me would have been
into this book. But like I said, some kids may not be ready for it, and I
totally get that. I didn’t think of this book as being specifically aimed at
teens, just because it has some sections where the main characters are 13 or
14.

Maybe favorite encounter thus far was a mom who asked me if
the book was appropriate for her teen, and I mentioned that there was a sex
scene. She flipped through the pages, and said, “Found it.” A moment
later, she saw that the word “condom” is mentioned prominently in that
section, and was like, “Sold!”

This question, of whether my book is appropriate for teens, has led to some
pretty fascinating conversations among my friends. I’m kind of amazed how many
people read Clan of the Cave Bear at
a very young, formative age. I obviously missed out on a huge rite of passage,
because that book apparently was a major revelation to a lot of people when
they were going through puberty. And apparently that is an interesting book to read at an impressionable age. Also,
Flowers in the Attic!

Top image: Clan of the Cave Bear!