Parent reviews for Ready Player One (2024)

LadyVet Parent of 9, 12 and 13-year-old

As an adult, I loved this book. It has a lot of nostalgic references that were fun but also dives into the concepts of leaving real life behind in favor of the virtual world, loyalty to friends, and sacrificing for something you believe in. For kids though, I think 15 would be a good age. There is some content that could have been left out with no change to the story (sex/masturbation with VR characters, virtual prostitution, comparing avatars to p*rn stars, etc.). I do let my tweens/teen read some pretty language-heavy books (they read The Martian, for example), but with this one, I think if you wait until they can really "get" the concepts in the book, they will enjoy it more.

if your a horror, Sci-Fi, Action, Romance like me. then read this! I don't even care if your a kid. this book is for nerds, geeks and any body. the f word is said a lot, but I hate to break it to you, but your kids probably say the f word a lot to while playing video games. And the sex talk is kind of bad, but it's more ACTION then SEX. this book also has a lot of consumerism.

Aida M. Parent of 12-year-old

It’s not surprising to have a story about a dystopian future where people prefer the virtual world, to the real world. It s surprising that the story goes out of its way to spell out that God is as big a fantasy as the Easter bunny. Also unnecessary to the story is the large amount of cursing, and the detailed section on masturbation. The apparent theme of”live in the real world “ is all but lost through all the glitz and glam of the virtual world. Adults on the other hand will love it for all of the 80’s references and the references to classic fantasy and sci-fi.

CSM put only one star for sexual content. That is totally inaccurate and should be much higher. Yes, it is only in one section, but parents should know it has the main character choosing his sex doll, and describes the availability of all kinds of sex dolls, even ones with both male and female parts; he misses a whole week of work due to constant sex at a virtual brothel, and then goes back to "spanking the monkey the old-fashioned way."

Ready Player One is a REALLY good book. However it contains strong language in a couple of chapters, e.g. c--k, s--t, f--k, motherf--ker. Language is not in close to overwhelming, though strong at times. Violence is mostly just sci-fi though in one chapter a boy is thrown off a balcony. Light references to masturbation, virtual sex.

I wish the trash-talking scenes with “dirty word” name calling and gratuitous virtual sex/masturbation discussion had been left out of the book, as they added absolutely nothing to the storyline and the intended objective could have been accomplished in a manner suitable for all kids. There is also discussion of virtual brothels and some swearing throughout the book. The main character also goes on a rant saying that God is not real. I was hoping he would work through that during the course of the novel and come to the realization that there is a Creator but he didn’t. Disappointing. Parents should also know that one of the characters is gay. The other characters accept this, and the book carries on. The book sends a great message about spending too much time online without being preachy. It has an eerily prescient quality to it, similar to Hunger Games. Fascinating plot and satisfying ending.

First, the author felt it necessary to establish that their is no "God" in a long drawn out rant. I guess base upon his personal views. I understand doing so if it was relative to the story. But, it wasn't. Second, could have done without masturbation. Still, not relative to the story. Third, the author also addresses racial inequality and lesbian excommunication. Now that was relative to character development. Lot to digest for a young mind.

Amazing book. A few scenes in the book aren’t appropriate. Grades 12+.

Overall this book is awesome! i love the adventure and story line. reasons why i have it as 4 stars instead of 5 are the following. Wade's romance with one of the other characters can be pretty unrealistic at times in terms of how long they know each other. I say that this book is for 15+ because of the mentions of sex, sex dolls, masturbation, and some harsh language. While i am not religious, people who are should be aware that the book dismisses the idea of any god or heaven as fake, and equal in meaning to myths like the Easter bunny or Santa. Moving past some of the downsides, i love all of the 80s references and friendships in this. Great book, ill totally read again. Audio book is also really good.

My son read this book. He really liked the book however he told me that because of the chapter that has content about sex dolls, masterbati*n, and online brothels, he wishes he would have not read the book. He was about 15 when he read it and I was not aware of the chapter (I believe it is chapter 19). It is a shame that authors have to include this unnecessary content. Please check into the information before allowing your child to read it or recommend it for classroom use. Definitely not for young teenagers and older teens should know the content. Not everyone enjoys reading a book with a lot of cussing and other unnecessary sexual content.