Across the Desert (2023) Parents Guide: Is the book OK for kids?

This category is not present in the narrative. The story focuses entirely on Jolene's survival mission and her difficult home life, with no romantic or sexual situations occurring. Because the plot centers on a 12-year-old girl navigating the desert, the tone remains strictly platonic and appropriate for younger readers. The relationships depicted are limited to those between Jolene, her mother, a supportive librarian, and a new friend named Marty. There is no mention of physical attraction or puberty-related…

Moderate survival peril is the primary source of physical tension. The protagonist faces extreme heat, dehydration, and injuries from a bike crash, and witnesses a plane crash via livestream which serves as the inciting incident. The physical toll of the desert environment is described with realistic tension, including the pain of cactus needles and the threat of wildlife. Jolene’s discovery of Addie at the crash site involves descriptions of broken bones and blood that underscore the seriousness of the situation…

Very mild and suitable for the middle-grade audience. There is use of 'stupid' or 'idiot,' but no profanity or strong language is present in the text. The protagonist occasionally expresses frustration through name-calling, but the vocabulary remains clean and focused on descriptive survivalist terminology. Some characters speak bluntly about the dangers of the desert, but the tone never becomes aggressive or vulgar. The focus remains on Jolene's internal resilience rather than external verbal conflict.

Strong thematic focus on the opioid crisis and its impact on families. The story centers heavily on the protagonist's mother, who struggles with an opioid addiction (pills) following a work-related injury. Jolene has to hide her mother's condition and deal with the neglect caused by her mother's drug-induced lethargy and behavioral changes. The book depicts the physical reality of pills being hidden and the 'fog' that substance abuse creates between parent and child. It is a realistic and sobering look at how…

Heavy themes of parental neglect, addiction, and poverty drive the emotional weight of the novel. The story also explores grief, the pressure of keeping family secrets, and the resilience of children in crisis as Jolene feels responsible for her mother's well-being. Readers observe the internal conflict of a child who feels she must handle massive problems alone to protect her family unit. The narrative eventually shifts toward the importance of community support and the bravery required to ask for help. These…