Dickens & Rumi

book

Tricky Business

Age rating, content warnings & parent guide

Leslie McFarlane · 1988

Is Tricky Business appropriate for your child? See the reviewed age guidance, content cautions, positive themes, and supporting evidence below.

Explore the age guidance, content cautions, positive qualities, and supporting notes for Tricky Business by Leslie McFarlane. This book is content notes include Alcohol or drugs, Frightening scenes, Romance; positive qualities include Courage & resilience, Good role models.

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10-second decision

Is this likely to fit your family?

Age guidanceNot listed
Strongest cautionsAlcohol or drugs 1/5 · Frightening scenes 1/5 · Romance 1/5
Strongest positivesCourage & resilience 3/5 · Good role models 3/5
Recommendation2.5/5

Courage & resilience; strongest caution: alcohol or drugs.

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: alcohol or drugs.

Readiness snapshotMain watch-out: Alcohol or drugs 1/5
Recommendation 2.5/5

Editorial rating

How this review was built

Dickens & Rumi editorial
Source checkedPublication method
12Scored categories
12Evidence notes
0Explicit 0/5 checks
Oct 24, 2026Last updated

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

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Review depth12 scored categories12 evidence notes
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At a glance

Recommended ageNot listed

Strongest cautions

  • Alcohol or drugs1/5
  • Frightening scenes1/5
  • Romance1/5

Strongest positives

  • Courage & resilience3/5
  • Good role models3/5
  • Creativity & curiosity2/5

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What’s in it?

Strong language1/5
Why this rating?

Mild exclamations or name-calling may appear, but strong profanity is not indicated.

Romance1/5
Why this rating?

Romantic interest appears minor and lightly presented rather than central to the story.

Frightening scenes1/5
Why this rating?

The mystery may include mild suspense, such as being followed or exploring dark places, without intense horror.

Alcohol or drugs1/5
Why this rating?

Adult social drinking may be mentioned incidentally; there is no indication of child use or glamorized substance use.

Violence1/5
Why this rating?

Mild scuffles or fisticuffs may occur during the mystery; violence is limited and not graphic.

What’s good in it?

Courage & resilience3/5
Why this rating?

The protagonists face uncertainty and possible trouble with persistence and bravery, sometimes without adult supervision.

Creativity & curiosity2/5
Why this rating?

Clues and mystery-solving invite imaginative theories, observation, and inventive problem-solving.

Diverse representation1/5
Why this rating?

The available information suggests limited representation typical of its period; character backgrounds are not well documented here.

Educational value1/5
Why this rating?

Detective work may encourage observation and reasoning, but teaching factual content is not the main purpose.

Kindness & empathy2/5
Why this rating?

Characters help and support one another, though kindness is part of the action rather than the central theme.

Positive messages2/5
Why this rating?

The mystery supports honesty, persistence, cooperation, and solving problems responsibly.

Good role models3/5
Why this rating?

Young protagonists show initiative and persistence, though unsupervised risk-taking may limit their example.

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. How were alcohol or drugs portrayed, and what consequences did the story show?
  3. Which choice in Tricky Business would you have made differently, and why?
  4. Who changed the most in Tricky Business, and what caused that change?
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