Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Christian Book and Movie Reviews

I like to know what my kids are reading/watching and whether there is questionable material in them. So far, they have only recently started to pick their own books, and often, I don't know anything about them. I found these 2 websites that have reviews from a Christian perspective. (Even if you're not a Christian though, these can be very useful tools, as you may have similar concerns as Christians regarding profanity, violence, sex, and content.)

Book Reviews:

  • Plugged-in- There's too many books in the world for any review site to cover all of them, but this has a lot of the popular ones. Contains plot summaries and notes about Christians beliefs, other beliefs presented, profanity, violence, sex, and also has discussion topics to use with kids. 

Movie Reviews:

  • Movie Guide - Gives a rating for content, broken up by language, violence, sex, and nudity, and a separate rating for movie quality. Contains a synopsis of the plot. 
  • Plugged In by Focus in the Family - Huge selection of popular entertainment, including movies, video games, TV, music and some book reviews. Gives a plot synopsis, plus notes on spiritual content, sex, violence, profanity, alcohol/drug usage, and a rating from the reviewer, and sometimes a gauge for whether it's appropriate for kids, teens, or adults (red, yellow, or green rating for each age group).

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I have also found it difficult to keep up with my 3rd grade daughter's reading choices. I will try to read some of the library books she checks out - and it makes for fun discussions, kind of like our own little book club! - but it's hard to keep up with the sheer volume of books she brings home. :P Mostly as long as she's choosing books in the "J" (Juniors) section, I don't worry too much, but sometimes she has ventured into the "YA" (Young Adult) section, and then I feel I need to do a little research...

I have found this site helpful, by Common Sense Media. It reviews books, movies, and games for family-friendliness, and even provides a recommended age for appropriateness, which sometimes differs from what you might expect based on the movie rating or the book categorization!

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

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