ONLINE BOOK Cleaning With Common Sense
Families can talk about books dealing with teen drug addiction. Do stories like this one do anything to either prevent -- or normalize -- teen drug use? How does this book compare to other media -- books, movies, etc. -- that deal with drug addiction?
ONLINE BOOK Cleaning With Common Sense
How does this book compare to Reed's other novel Beautiful, which also deals with mature subjects, such as rape, teen sex, and drug use? Are there any topics that are too mature for teens? Or is it important for books to tackle tough topics?
Parents need to know that Karen M. McManus' One of Us Is Lying is a murder mystery set in a high school. Four teens are suspects in the death of a classmate. They were in detention with the boy when he died, but no one saw anyone do anything to him. The mystery has many twists and turns, plus romance, social drama, and bullying of all types (verbal, physical, and online). Teen make-out sessions are described in detail. Kids drink and get offered drugs at parties, spread rumors, and gossip about one another, and occasionally swear, including "s--t," f--k," and "a--hole." Much of the plot involves kids keeping big secrets from friends and family, which provides good discussion topics. The online bullying in the book raises lots of ethical questions and will give readers much to discuss.
This fun, engrossing murder mystery will keep readers guessing until the end. If The Breakfast Club and Gossip Girl had a baby who was raised by Agatha Christie, the result would be One of Us Is Lying. Author Karen M. McManus starts with character clichés -- the smart overachiever, the pretty and popular airhead, the good ol' boy jock, and the handsome but possibly dangerous drug dealer -- but moves past that to show most people are more than what they seem, for good and for bad. Overall, the book is a page-turner of a whodunnit.
The story is told in alternating first person by the four main characters. This approach allows the reader to see how each character views the others and gives insight into what the character is hiding. The downside is that the character voices are too similar early on in the book, making switching between them confusing at times. Even though most of the book is fun, fast reading, the action bogs down in the middle and the romance storylines get tedious. The character arcs are very good, and the story picks up after the halfway point, with lots of great twists and turns.
Parents need to know that this humorous science fiction thriller deals with a high-stakes online contest that mixes puzzles with video game violence. Set in a depressed future United States, where most people escape into virtual reality, it features a bunch of tough-talking teens fighting to keep their online playground out of the hands of an evil corporation.
Layered with inside jokes and sly references that will appeal to a wide range of readers, READY PLAYER ONE is a smart, funny thriller that both celebrates and critiques online culture. The author is accomplished at developing suspense even though much of the narrative is set in virtual reality. The puzzles are intriguing, the action is intense, and the payoff at the end is worth all the buildup.
Parents need to know that The Fault in Our Stars is a story about teens fighting cancer, and sensitive readers might be uncomfortable with the subject matter and sometimes graphic descriptions of what it's like to die. Hazel has some near-death experiences and also copes with Gus as he vomits uncontrollably, etc. Characters lose eyes, legs, control of their personalities, and more. Also, characters play violent video games and read books and watch movies with high body counts. There's some swearing and drinking, and the two main characters, who are in love, do have (safe) sex, though it's described only briefly. This is a mature and powerful story: Hazel not only provides teens with insight about what it is like to know you're dying -- and to lose someone you love -- but her story is also about deciding to love and be loved, even when you know it will cause pain.
Be prepared: This is a tearjerker dealing with dying -- and surviving the death of a loved one. Parents who read this book along with their teens will be particularly moved by Hazel's parents, who soothe her anxiety by telling her about their plans for after she has died ("Even when you die, I will still be your mom, Hazel ... how could I stop loving you?"). Green wrote this book after making a friendship with a teen with cancer, and his attention to detail is remarkable, from descriptions of equipment to what it feels like to be stared at by well-meaning strangers. Readers may be perplexed about an alcoholic author who begins making appearances in Hazel's life, and may be unsure if he is really there or just a symbol. This decision seems a bit out of step with what is otherwise a realistic and emotionally harrowing book about love and loss. But Hazel's honest narration and her strength to love despite the consequences will capture teens' attention most. In the end, this is a painful book, but well worth it.
Also, the author's other books, such as Looking for Alaska, are often called edgy. What makes a book "Young Adult," and when does it crossover into being an adult story? Does it have to do mostly with the age of the narrator, or something else?
In THE CLEANER, Buck (King Orba) is a middle-aged house cleaner in Southern California struggling to make ends meet. He lives in an RV camp next to his ailing mother Sharon (Shelley Long), who suffers from arthritis. As his financial situation grows increasingly dire, he loses one of his oldest customers (Luke Wilson), who tries to make up for it by telling Buck about a neighbor who may be looking for someone to hire. Buck meets with the neighbor, Carlene (Lynda Carter), a former torch singer who wants Buck not for cleaning her house, but to track down her estranged son. Carlene offers him a hefty sum of much-needed money, and so Buck begins the search for Andrew. As the search takes him far outside his comfort zone, Buck gets help from his cop brother Craig, as well as his weed-dealing neighbor James. As Buck learns the real reason why Carlene wants to reunite with her son, he continues his efforts, and a violent altercation with tragic consequences reveals the fragile bonds of family and relationships in the face of past mistakes, shortcomings, and the struggles that so many face in day-to-day life.
As Buck, the struggling housecleaner given a job he can't refuse, King Orba imbues him with the right level of weariness. The ensemble cast has a ridiculous amount of cameo appearances, and these characters heighten this sense of trying to not only endure in this world, but also to maintain a sense of hope and even dreams for a better life ahead. Like many indie-dramas, this might not be for those looking for lots of action, but The Cleaner reveals once again that solid acting, relatable characters, and a good story can do so much more on a limited budget than a blockbuster movie with a weak story and cliched characters.
Bloated PowerPoints and endless meetings are just a few of the corporate practices that bog down the workplace in bureaucracy. The result is low morale, squandered productivity and poor decision-making. Thankfully, Martin Lindstrom offers specific solutions to restore common sense to organizations that sabotage their own success.
Our goal with this section of our website is to find clean teen books that are great for tweens, teens, or anyone looking for exciting books without sexual content and without excessive language. We have found that violence is usually not the main concern, but we will always make note if we think the violence is excessive (even if there is no sex or language).
We only have so many hours in the day and cannot read all suggestions. If someone else makes a suggestion that you think should not be on our clean teen book list, please let us know and be sure to include why you feel this way. We want to partner with you and are excited to work with our readers on this project!
The Akarnae series by Lynette Noni is also an excellent clean series, with the last book being released feb 2019. Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan is also amazing and clean. The Whisper series by Lynette Noni is also terrific and clean, with more books being released later.
Thank you so much for this website. I have been desperate for something new to read that I know is clean and those has been a lifeline. I will is also like to suggest the Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson (with a sequel due sometime) and the Skyward series also by Brandon Sanderson. (probably another book coming too) They are both clean books with mild language that were really good.
Some of my personal favorite clean books that have a younger feel are The Renegades by Marissa Meyer and Elementals by Amie Caufman. I also love the Janitors by Tyler Whitesides. Elementals and Janitors are great for young children with absolutely no language and mild violence. I highly recommend them for the whole family.
The mission of The Way to Happiness Foundation International is to reverse the moral decay of society by restoring trust and honesty the world over through the publication and widespread distribution of The Way to Happiness, a common sense guide to better living.
The message of the booklet includes sharing it with others. To make this even more possible, The Way to Happiness Foundation has state-of-the-art graphic design and print-on-demand facilities at its headquarters in Glendale, California, to produce booklets with customized covers in 114 languages for any individual, group, corporation or agency that wishes to forward this message of goodwill.
I've spent a lot of time tidying over the past few weeks, not so much guided as whipped into a feverish frenzy by Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I got it in a local bookstore after sheepishly asking for "the Japanese cleaning book."
Discovering a book this way felt odd in our time of memes and instagramming impactful lines from important books that are happening right now. It's rare for a zeitgeist to find you IRL before you encounter it online. But it seemed impossible to avoid Marie Kondo's KonMari method. People were losing their shit over it.