The concerning content here is relatively low (compared to a lot of what we see), but there are a few things we wanted to make sure you know about as a Christian parent.
The biggest issue that sticks out and runs through a lot of the book was how the author chose to represent the family dynamic. While there are good aspects that we will point out in the next section, there are things about both parents that we wish were different, especially since the family is shown attending church regularly.
Dad really is a solid character, but early in the book we really wish the author had changed how he communicates with his wife. He tells the entire family, her included, that he has signed them up for a program that would uproot them and move them to Alaska to save them from the poverty caused by the mill closing. That is how she finds out. While it is nice to see a father figure leading, we do wish the book had included more dialogue between the parents first, especially since mother does not handle the news (or really most of the rest of the book) well.
Unfortunately, Mom’s issues come up over and over, getting better and less frequent towards the end, but never fully resolving. She is extremely vocal about her feelings about father’s plans in front of the children. Often these are very direct (she calls him a “fool headed stubborn man”). Other times they are more passive aggressive, giving backhanded comments (“I don’t know what we’re going to do if your father refuses the only reasonable option, moving back with your grandmother”).
Grandmother (mom’s mom) shows up and makes things worse (“It was bad enough that your Mr. Johnson dragged you here… but Alaska is the back of the beyond” to which Dad starts to say, “we decided” before being interrupted by mom, “Actually it was you that decided, but I did agree”).
Other things to be aware of:
For a portion of the book, the main character Terpsichore is unkind towards a young boy she meets (they eventually become friends). She calls him an annoying know-it-all. She says things like, “she hoped Alaska was big enough that she wouldn’t have to listen to him again”. She also has bouts of self-pity because her sisters are so musically included, while she is not.
Dad is adamant that he won’t take government funds. While this is very admirable, it is good to explain this tricky issue to younger readers. Many are faced with very challenging situations and are kept alive by these funds. While the politics of this are certainly disputed, we as Christians are called to show love. Our kids need to do the same.
Terpsichore really likes her outfit for school her mom makes her, until her close friend who loves stars and fashion says it “looks like a uniform for a kid in an orphanage”. Later she says she can’t pass notes in school because the teacher is watching her too closely. She also intentionally eavesdrops on the pastor’s wife talking to her mother.
Greek Muses are mentioned several times at the source of names.
A young boy says the girls about red-backed voles, saying “they sometimes even eat each other. They’re cannibals you know”. He also gives about a dozen terms for throwing up.
Fish cleaning (preparing to eat) is described in a surprising amount of detail.
A character is said to wave their finger around “like a magic wand”. Someone comments that it takes “hard work and luck”.
At one point mother comments, “nosy women can be more critical than drill sergeants”. Really sadly this is about women coming over for church at their home.
A person says “dam” and “damn”, saying the first isn’t swearing. We read the terms idiot, idiocy and hear a round of mild insults exchanged.
An infant and a 4-year-old pass away from scarlet fever. Terpsichore realizes the there are “two dead bodies just ten feet from her”.
Two men die in an airplane crash.
Townspeople are said to be gossiping.