What age level is this appropriate for? Is it something I could read with my 10 year old daughter (reads at high-school level, so content is the issue)? Thanks.

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9 years ago
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Camron Wright Good question. In my opinion there isn’t anything that will be a problem (three or four hells and damns), but what isn’t offensive to me, may be to another. Best advice I can offer, if you have the time, give it a quick read to be certain you agree. That said, a recent newspaper reviewer noted, “The Orphan Keeper … doesn't contain any sexual content or objectionable language, but does include two briefly described instances of child abuse.” The instances of child abuse she mentions are mild, yet critical for the story plot, and until she listed them, they wouldn’t have crossed my mind as possibly being offensive or even worth bringing up. But again, we all see the world differently. You do get a gold star on your forehead, however, for being a good parent and asking the question. Way to go for that!

As an update, for what it's worth, The Orphan Keeper was just selected as a Featured Read by the Children's Book Council in their Seasonal Showcase. Their suggested reading age for the book is listed as 14 and up. http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbc_book/the-...

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Melodi | booksandchicks I just listened to it and I have a 10 year old. If he was interested I'd let him read it, no problem. Nothing was scary or too mature. Could make for good dialogue with your child.

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Christine I have a daughter, 9, adopted after 4.5 years in foster care. While it's a bit long to read with her, I wouldn't hesitate at all to listen to the audiobook together. It would lead to some really good discussions, both about the charactcer's life journey, as well as her own.

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Amy I would say, depending on the type of material you read with her, will determine the decision. I would probably recommend it to my teens - though at present they are so swamped with school that picking up a book like this, that is so moving, they probably need to be reading something a little lighter. At age 10 if you already have open discussions about the realism of today's world, then she can probably handle the content.

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