HarperTeen

Review

Common Sense Media says

Publisher's site is safe, but some novels are a bit spicy.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this site lets teens browse HarperTeen's young-adult offerings, some of which include iffy content like drug abuse, one-night stands, and vampire violence. The other content on the site (quizzes, podcasts, contests) is pretty tame, and there's no social networking or other privacy-compromising features.

  • Positive messages0
    Messages vary based on the books.
  • Violence3
    The Vampire Diaries books contain some graphic scenes of violence, including sexualized violence.
  • Sex3
    Lauren Conrad's L.A. Candy talks about characters having sex and cheating on their partners.
  • Language2
    There's no strong language on the main site, but some of the books contain profanity.
  • Consumerism3
    The site links to vendors that sell its books. There are some ads and product-related promotions, such as contests with iPods and Mark cosmetics as prizes.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking3
    Drinking, smoking, and drugs come up in books, but some (like Dope Sick) are cautionary tales.
  • Privacy & safety0
    Users can provide their name and email address to enter contests or sign up for newsletters.  
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Is it any good?

 

Fans of The Vampire Diaries and other popular young-adult novels can take quizzes, enter contests, and listen to podcasts featuring their favorite authors on HarperTeen. These interactive features -- and more -- offer a nice complement to the novels, many of which are available for browsing (and purchase). The site has a clean, appealing design, and the information is well organized. Teens don't have a chance to contribute to the site -- there's no social networking or user-created content -- but for parents, that's probably a plus.

Online interaction: No social networking or messages boards.

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What families can talk about

Families can talk about creativity and self-expression. Why do certain books appeal to us? What kind of stories do your teens have to tell? Discuss the risks and rewards of sharing our writing and talk about giving and receiving constructive criticism.

This review was written by Susan Yudt
Kid, 12 years old
December 3, 2010
AGE
13
 
perfect for older kids. but too iffy for tweens.
it's too iffy for tweens. but it's good for 13-yr olds. i mean teens will love this site. the website's books has sex and swearing in them. moms and dads, it's fine to let yuor 13-yr old to use this site.
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Helped me decide (16) | Had useful details (17) | Read my mind (15)
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Teen, 17 years old
July 19, 2010
AGE
9
 
Would you rather you kid throw away a book in the first couple of chapters or read them online to make sure they want it?
I love this website! It lets me know if I would like the book or not. Your kid knows what they are not suppose to be reading, so why would they read anything bad on here? yeah I understand the issue of letting your kid read about sex, if you are worring about that then, then stand behind them til they get that book to read.
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Helped me decide (17) | Had useful details (12) | Read my mind (15)
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This review was written by Susan Yudt
Genre:Brand Sites
This review was written by Susan Yudt

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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