Dickens & Rumi

book

The Singing

Alison Croggon · 2008

Explore the age guidance, content cautions, positive qualities, and supporting notes for The Singing by Alison Croggon. This book is recommended for ages 13+; content notes include Frightening scenes, Violence, Death of a character; positive qualities include Courage & resilience, Creativity & curiosity.

Ages 13+Source checked

Why this age? The novel includes repeated peril, deaths, illness, siege warfare, frightening supernatural forces, grief, and emotionally demanding sacrifice, alongside complex fantasy themes and relationships. This is guidance, not a safety guarantee; reading level and family context may differ.

Quick view

At a glance

Recommended age13+

Strongest cautions

  • Frightening scenes4/5
  • Violence4/5
  • Death of a character3/5

Strongest positives

  • Courage & resilience5/5
  • Creativity & curiosity5/5
  • Good role models4/5

What’s in it?

Death of a character3/5
Why this rating?

Several deaths occur, including the deaths of named friends and enemies; grief and the possibility of further loss affect the characters.

Graphic injury2/5
Why this rating?

Includes descriptions of destruction and the physical toll of magical battles, but is not overly visceral.

Strong language1/5
Why this rating?

Language is generally formal and literary, consistent with epic fantasy standards.

Religious themes2/5
Why this rating?

The book features high-fantasy world-building with its own mythology and spiritual concepts, not real-world religion.

Romance2/5
Why this rating?

Romantic relationships develop between main characters, handled with a mature, low-intensity tone.

Frightening scenes4/5
Why this rating?

Fatal supernatural cold, an advancing dark army, frightening creatures, disease, floods, possession-like threats, and visions of the dead create sustained peril.

Alcohol or drugs1/5
Why this rating?

Not a significant element.

Violence4/5
Why this rating?

Repeated fantasy violence includes attacks, sieges, destruction, supernatural assaults, and characters destroying hostile beings. The violence is serious rather than purely comic.

What’s good in it?

Courage & resilience5/5
Why this rating?

Characters repeatedly face deadly weather, disease, armies, supernatural enemies, grief, and sacrifice while protecting others and resisting evil.

Creativity & curiosity5/5
Why this rating?

Music, magical language, healing, summoned connections, and the Treesong drive the plot and invite imaginative engagement with art and invention.

Diverse representation2/5
Why this rating?

Features a diverse range of characters with varying roles and backgrounds within the world's internal logic.

Educational value2/5
Why this rating?

Explores complex literary themes and linguistics through the 'Speech' in the story.

Kindness & empathy4/5
Why this rating?

Compassion, healing, forgiveness, cooperation, and refusing to abandon the sick are prominent, especially in Hem's treatment of Saliman.

Positive messages4/5
Why this rating?

The story strongly supports loyalty, responsibility, healing, resisting evil, accepting difficult choices, and helping vulnerable people despite personal risk.

Good role models4/5
Why this rating?

Hem refuses to abandon an infected companion and learns to heal him; other characters show courage, responsibility, loyalty, and remorse.

Family discussion

Talk about it

Conversation starters based on this title’s published content notes.

  1. What did courage look like in this story? Was being brave always the same as being fearless?
  2. Which moment felt most tense or frightening? What helped the characters handle fear?
  3. Which choice in The Singing would you have made differently, and why?
  4. Who changed the most in The Singing, and what caused that change?
Discuss this title with other parents

Community reactions

What families noticed

Add your perspective

Sign in from the homepage to rate this title.

Where to get it

Find in a libraryBuy on Bookshop.orgBuy on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate and Bookshop.org affiliate, Dickens & Rumi may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

If you liked this

Try something nearby

Related by age fit, format, and catalogue context.

You’re hereThe Singing
A Forest DividedErin Hunter · 2015Ages 14+Dark Lord of DerkholmDiana Wynne Jones · 1998Ages 14+Drowned Ammet (Dalemark Quartet, Book 2)Diana Wynne Jones · 1977Ages 12+Cart and Cwidder (The Dalemark Quartet)Diana Wynne Jones · 1975Ages 12+

These content notes are a starting point, not a guarantee. Review the evidence and use your own judgment before choosing a title.

Report an incorrect rating