Stuart Little
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 9+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
Stuart Little is a tiny boy who looks just like a mouse. He is brave and polite, and he has big adventures in New York City. When his bird friend flies away, he goes looking for her. He leaves home without saying goodbye, and the book ends before he finds her. It is a good book for kids in third grade and up. White's prose is lovely and Stuart is brave, courteous and loyal to his friend. The story is clean. The reservation is the shape of it: Stuart leaves his loving parents without a word, nobody corrects him, and the book stops on the road with nothing settled.
For parents
Read aloud from 6, independent reading from 8 or 9. Common Sense Media says 6, Plugged In says 8 to 12, and Seton lists it for fourth grade. Ask your children how Stuart's mother and father felt when he left without telling them, and what the Fourth Commandment asks of him (CCC 2214-2217). Ask why courage matters more than size. The family talks about luck, so say plainly that God's Providence guides us, not luck (CCC 302-303). Prepare young listeners for an ending with no homecoming. Hope keeps Stuart going, and that is worth naming.