What If? (2022) Parents Guide: Is the book OK for kids?
Age Rating, Sex, Violence & Language
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! An NPR Best Book of 2022 "The questions throughout What If? 2 are equal parts brilliant, gross, and wonderfully absurd and the answers are thorough, deeply researched, and great fun. . . . Science isn’t easy, but in Munroe’s capable hands, it surely can be fun." —TIME The #1 New York Times bestselling author of What If? and How To answers more of the weirdest questions you never thought to ask The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? still have questions, and those… Sign up for the full guide
Adult • 2022 • 315 pages • Lexile 1000L+ (roughly grades 6–7 reading difficulty)
What If? 2 is a humorous, non-fiction scientific exploration that answers absurd hypothetical questions using rigorous physics and math. While the tone is lighthearted and often silly, the book earns its rating due to frequent descriptions of large-scale destruction, including the vaporization of populations and graphic (though stick-figure) depictions of scientific mishaps. Parents should note that the 'science' often involves… Sign up for the full guide
Is What If? appropriate for kids?
What If? 2 is a humorous, non-fiction scientific exploration that answers absurd hypothetical questions using rigorous physics and math. While the tone is lighthearted and often silly, the book earns its rating due to frequent descriptions of large-scale destruction, including… Read more — free account
Content severity in What If?
What happens in What If?, moment by moment
- p. 12 ⚔ Violence & Gore 4/10
- p. 28 🍷 Substances 2/10
- p. 45 ⚔ Violence & Gore 5/10
Sex and nudity in What If?
This category is not present in the book. Randall Munroe maintains a strictly scientific focus throughout the text and stick-figure illustrations, avoiding any romantic or sexual references. The content is suitable for all ages in this regard, as the humor relies on physics-based absurdity rather than adult relationships. Readers will find no instances of nudity, sexual tension, or suggestive content across the chapters. The book's tone is intellectual and analytical, ensuring that even the most hypothetical…
Read more — free accountViolence and gore in What If?
Violence is frequent but highly stylized through scientific 'worst-case scenarios' and stick-figure drawings. The text describes extreme physical peril such as the hypothetical vaporization of the human population, the crushing of bodies under gravity, and the liquefaction of organisms during high-speed impacts. Illustrations show characters being burned, flattened, or eaten by dinosaurs, yet the simplicity of the art keeps it from being visually graphic in a realistic sense. Munroe treats mass death as a data…
Read more — free accountLanguage in What If?
Language in this volume is very mild and primarily used for comedic emphasis during moments of extreme scientific failure. Occasional words like 'hell' or 'damn' appear, usually uttered by a stick figure character witnessing a catastrophic hypothetical event. The technical jargon is far more frequent than any offensive terms, making the book generally clean and safe for a middle-grade vocabulary. There are no racial slurs, heavy profanities, or aggressive verbal abuse present. The expletives that do appear are…
Read more — free accountDrugs, alcohol, and smoking in What If?
Substance use is light and limited to chemical hazards or historical scientific context rather than recreational use. The book mentions the toxic effects of various chemicals on the human body, such as the dangers of swimming in liquid nitrogen or contact with acid. There are no scenes portraying characters drinking alcohol for pleasure or using illicit drugs. Mentions of substances are strictly educational, focusing on their molecular properties or their potential to cause physical damage in hypothetical physics…
Read more — free accountMature themes in What If?
The book centers on existential threats and the sheer scale of the universe, often leaning into the fragility of life. Munroe explores the dark humor inherent in mortality through calculations of planetary destruction and the inevitability of the heat death of the universe. While the tone is light, the recurring focus on mass extinction and the catastrophic end of humanity might be heavy for younger or more sensitive readers. The chapters often deal with the concept of 'what would happen if everything went wrong,'…
Read more — free accountFrequently Asked Questions
Is What If? appropriate for kids?
Bontent's parent guide suggests What If? is best for ages 14+. What If? 2 is a humorous, non-fiction scientific exploration that answers absurd hypothetical questions using rigorous physics and math. While the tone is lighthearted and often silly, the book earns its rating due to…
What age rating does What If? have?
Books don't carry official age ratings. What If? is shelved by its publisher as Adult, but that's a marketing category, not a content rating — Bontent's own review of what's actually on the page puts it at ages 14+.
What reading level is What If??
What If? is 315 pages and its reading level is Lexile 1000L+ (roughly grades 6–7 reading difficulty). Bontent recommends it for ages 14+.
What is What If? about?
What If? 2 is a humorous, non-fiction scientific exploration that answers absurd hypothetical questions using rigorous physics and math. While the tone is lighthearted and often silly, the book earns its rating due to frequent descriptions of large-scale destruction, including the vaporization of populations and…
Is there sex or nudity in What If??
This category is not present in the book. Randall Munroe maintains a strictly scientific focus throughout the text and stick-figure illustrations, avoiding any romantic or sexual references. The content is suitable for all ages in this regard, as the humor…
How violent is What If??
Violence is frequent but highly stylized through scientific 'worst-case scenarios' and stick-figure drawings. The text describes extreme physical peril such as the hypothetical vaporization of the human population, the crushing of bodies under gravity, and…
Is the language in What If? appropriate for kids?
Language in this volume is very mild and primarily used for comedic emphasis during moments of extreme scientific failure. Occasional words like 'hell' or 'damn' appear, usually uttered by a stick figure character witnessing a catastrophic hypothetical event…
Are drugs, alcohol, or smoking depicted in What If??
Substance use is light and limited to chemical hazards or historical scientific context rather than recreational use. The book mentions the toxic effects of various chemicals on the human body, such as the dangers of swimming in liquid nitrogen or contact…
What mature themes appear in What If??
The book centers on existential threats and the sheer scale of the universe, often leaning into the fragility of life. Munroe explores the dark humor inherent in mortality through calculations of planetary destruction and the inevitability of the heat death…
Where can I read the full What If? parent guide?
Create a free Bontent account to unlock page-level notes, filter by your kids' ages, and save titles to your watchlist.
Less intense books for families
Sign up to filter
More business books with parent guides
- Atomic Habits parent guide
- The 48 Laws of Power parent guide
- Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow parent guide
- Biggest Ideas in the Universe 2 parent guide
- Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster parent guide
- Think and Grow Rich parent guide
- Control Your Mind and Master Your Feelings parent guide
- Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals parent guide
- Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think parent guide
- Brave New World parent guide
- Dune parent guide
- Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection parent guide
Popular Science books parents are checking
- The Thursday Murder Club, #2: The Man Who Died Twice parent guide
- An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (The Carls, #1) parent guide
- DIARY OF A WIMPY KID parent guide
- Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal parent guide
- Finlay Donovan Is Killing It (Finlay Donovan, #1) parent guide
- This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor parent guide
- The Devil Wears Prada (The Devil Wears Prada, #1) parent guide
- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World parent guide
More books by Randall Munroe
More books with Bontent parent guides
- The Dictionary of Lost Words parent guide
- Charlie the Choo-Choo parent guide
- The Name of the Wind / The Wise Man's Fear / The Slow Regard of Silent Things (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1-2.5) parent guide
- Clash of star-kings parent guide
- Blake Crouch's Dark Matter parent guide
- The Bookshop on Rosemary Lane parent guide
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones parent guide
- The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4) parent guide
- The ballad of the hundred days parent guide
- The motion picture chums' outdoor exhibition, or, The film that solved a mystery parent guide
- The contemporary Negro novel parent guide
- Blood of Elves (The Witcher, #1) parent guide
- Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) parent guide
- A century of the English novel parent guide
- Harry Potter parent guide
- 6 great short novels of science fiction parent guide