Dickens & Rumi
Cover of IF WE WERE GIANTS

book

IF WE WERE GIANTS

Age rating, content warnings & parent guide

Dave Matthews and Clete Barrett Smith

Is IF WE WERE GIANTS appropriate for your child? See the reviewed age guidance, content cautions, positive themes, and supporting evidence below.

After exposing the whereabouts of her former home to the "Takers," Kirra must find the strength to make sure it doesn’t happen to her new one. (Ages 8 to 12)

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10-second decision

Is this likely to fit your family?

Age guidanceNot listed
Strongest cautionsFrightening scenes 2/5 · Violence 1/5
Strongest positivesCourage & resilience 3/5 · Creativity & curiosity 3/5
Recommendation3/5

Courage & resilience; strongest caution: frightening scenes.

This is the quick scan. Open the evidence and methodology below for the basis behind each rating.

Quick context

What parents should know

Courage & resilience; strongest caution: frightening scenes.

Readiness snapshotMain watch-out: Frightening scenes 2/5
Recommendation 3/5

Editorial rating

How this review was built

Dickens & Rumi editorial
Source checkedPublication method
11Scored categories
11Evidence notes
2Explicit 0/5 checks
Oct 19, 2026Last updated

Dickens & Rumi describes what is present; families decide what matters to them. Community reactions are kept separate from official content ratings.

How ratings workReport a rating or series issue
Review depth11 scored categories11 evidence notes
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At a glance

Recommended ageNot listed

Strongest cautions

  • Frightening scenes2/5
  • Violence1/5

Strongest positives

  • Courage & resilience3/5
  • Creativity & curiosity3/5
  • Good role models3/5

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What’s in it?

Frightening scenes2/5
Why this rating?

The presence of giants and the threat to the protagonists' way of life create a sense of suspense and mild fear.

Violence1/5
Why this rating?

Fantasy encounters and protective actions may create mild tension, but there is no clear evidence of sustained, graphic, or realistic violence.

Checked and not flagged

No concern recorded in these categories

These categories were explicitly scored 0/5 in the published review. This is not a guarantee that every edition or reader experience is identical.

Death of a character · 0/5Strong language · 0/5

What’s good in it?

Courage & resilience3/5
Why this rating?

Characters appear to show meaningful courage through standing up to others and questioning accepted ideas, though danger and bravery are not the story’s sole focus.

Creativity & curiosity3/5
Why this rating?

Invites readers to imagine a unique world with distinct rules and scale-based dynamics.

Diverse representation2/5
Why this rating?

The contrast between giants and islanders supports themes of belonging and inclusion, but it is not clear that the book offers broad, detailed representation of human identities.

Educational value1/5
Why this rating?

Encourages critical thinking and social awareness regarding how society shapes perception.

Kindness & empathy3/5
Why this rating?

Kindness and bridge-building are central to the protagonists' development and the plot resolution.

Positive messages3/5
Why this rating?

Promotes themes of empathy, questioning authority, breaking down prejudices, and the power of friendship.

Good role models3/5
Why this rating?

Kirra serves as a strong role model who demonstrates curiosity and moral integrity.

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 IF WE WERE GIANTS would you have made differently, and why?
  4. Who changed the most in IF WE WERE GIANTS, and what caused that change?
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Community perspective — separate from editorial ratings

What families noticed

Community signal

Community ratings and written reactions are a separate layer. They do not automatically change Dickens & Rumi’s official age guidance or content scores.

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