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What he's doing is illegal, but it just might atone for the other illegal things he's already done!
Kite
by
Melvin Burgess
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Parents, pls. comment on Parent Review.
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| Taylor Mase knows it’s illegal to kill a red kite (an endangered bird) as his dad, gamekeeper to Mr. Harris, has just done.
He’s sure it’s illegal to steal the eggs, as he himself has just done.
It’s probably illegal to raise a kite chick, but he and his friend Alan are going to try.
Their decision will pit them against Mr. Harris who wants all birds of prey destroyed, so they don’t harm his pheasants.
It will pit them against Taylor’s dad who must carry out Mr. Harris’s wishes.
And it will all come to a head in the fall during the pheasant shoot on Mr. Harris’s property.
Note: This book has lots of killing of animals in it—it’s not for the squeamish!
Kite by Melvin Burgess (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000), 182 pages.
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Book Rating
| Offensive Language |
Moderate—G*d, 2 J*s*s, Chr*st; d*mn, 4 h*ll; 3 b*gger, 18 bl**dy; 3 bastard, 10 shut up, 9 stupid, 3 blabbermouth, 2 thugs, 3 idiot, ignorant, 2 lying, vandal, 2 selfish, toad, 3 spoiled, 3 brat, hooligans, dung, nonsense, perv, turncoat, 2 liar, hypocrite, sneak, snotty, filthy, 4 pests, 4 vermin, villain, thieves, 3 bully, crackpot, fool, cranks, fusspots; "Lord High Muck," "nasty little squirt," "you and your kind"; 2 "it pooed!"; "wipe your granny’s bum"; "you’re not fit to own a back yard"; jokes about smelly sock on kite’s head; boys yell at bird to frighten it and make it afraid of humans; Taylor calls his father a pig; "throwback to the Dark Ages"; "the Beast"; father says Harris should be shot. |
| Sex, Nudity, Reproduction |
Very Mild—slight implication of married couple's sexual feelings. |
| Drugs and Alcohol |
Moderate—Smell of tobacco; someone drinking, two people drink too much once, stumble around, drop things, accepted. |
| Violence |
Extensive—Introduction: 1000 birds die; Story: baby birds die, whacking someone several times; lots of killing of animals; rabbits caught, sent to market; description of catching animals in "spring traps," quite graphic; hitting animals on the head or dashing them against trees; someone bit by animal, forcing animal to let go; dead carcasses nailed up, quite graphic; killing pets, not graphic; killing an endangered species, somewhat graphic; chick pecked by hen; admiration of hunting skills; people bitten by animal; animal attacks cat; shoving, swinging at someone, grazing them, person falling down; animal frightened, attacks those trying to help, cuts them; desire to hurt back; knocking it, pulling it through bushes, grabbing animal, more cuts; feelings of hatred; fears of attack; throwing sticks; description of shooting; dead birds; injured animal; someone getting cuffed; attacks by other animals; desiring to chop up animal and feed it to pigs; smack on bottom; animal's memory of attack; one animal kills another, somewhat graphic; animals die from weather; threat to harm someone; animal dies from poison, somewhat graphic; animal nailed up on shed wall; kicking animal, shooting at it; remembered whipping; Afterword: birds fed on dead felons in the past. |
| Dishonesty/Criminal Behavior |
Extensive—Killing animals on someone else's property; someone urging another not to tell; killing animals and lying about it, secretly burying them; adult wants teen to do something illegal; threats of loss of job, housing; stealing; lots of lying; other threats; lying by not telling everything; fear of being arrested; illegal behavior; trespassing; disobedience; someone breaking his word; someone ordered to do something illegal; threats to call in police; arrest, court case. |
| Witchcraft, Fantasy, the Supernatural |
None |
| Other Concerns |
Someone tells child he might find God’s footprints in the dew in the mornings; someone realizes he has his own reasons for engaging in illegal behavior, hates self for it; practical joke frightens someone; neglect; lack of forgiveness; animals feed on carrion; man looks like he's just messed his pants; anger at parent; finding someone sitting on toilet; poisoning animals; distress at bad consequences for good choice. |
| Positives |
Parent wants to protect child; making good choice; desire to comfort someone who's grieving; stealing ruins hobby; funny scene of animals frightening each other; apologizing; letting someone know what's illegal; pride in child, not punishing child, understanding child; appropriate consequences; forgiveness, thank yous; family love; bird species survives. You may never have thought birds were so exciting! |
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