Roman’s family carries many stories and secrets. When his grandpa dies, Roman thinks he has lost his chance to discover many of them. However, before school starts, Roman is tasked with organizing and cleaning out his grandpa’s house. He uncovers one clue after another, and soon he finds himself tangled in a web of family secrets with no clear way out.
All of Roman’s life, he’s avoided hearing his grandpa’s story about the “toe beast” and how his grandpa lost his toe. When Grandpa dies, Roman thinks his chance to learn the truth has died as well. But while he spends his summer break cleaning out his grandpa’s house, he discovers a strange story about a girl and her dogs. Then he unlocks the shed to discover a man who claims to be his grandpa, but then the man disappears. Only a suspicious bucket is left.
Roman asks his family about the fragments of information he is finding. He tries to piece together what he has learned to uncover his family’s strange history. Soon he realizes the story spans both sides of his family, encompassing his mom’s mother—whom his mom never met.
The more Roman digs, the clearer it becomes that powerful forces are at work beyond his understanding and control. He is scared to discover the truth. Yet, he realizes that he can’t hide from it forever. He is old enough to hear the secrets he has long avoided.
The devil and angels are mentioned.
The toe beast appears in several family stories. Roman’s dad says Grandpa put a severed toe in a jar, claiming it told him the weather. That toe allegedly grew into a man—Grandpa’s clone.
We read about magic, karma, stealing souls, fate, a higher power and black magic. Roman receives a magic 8 ball as a birthday present. A Tasmanian tiger myth is recounted, which includes a boy who was called the “son of god and magic.” The Tasmanian tiger in the story talks and grants wishes. Time travel is utilized.
Parents care for their kids, and Roman’s family is tight-knit.
A man believed to be Roman’s grandpa dies from a stroke. We learn Grandpa’s toe was chopped off in an accident when he was a kid. Roman finds his allegedly dead grandpa alive and locked in a shed.
Roman learns the toe beast once tried to choke his grandma. There’s a story where Roman’s mom had to go to ER because she sliced her arm cutting fruit. When recounting this accident, someone alludes to an attempted suicide.
A dog drowns. Several dogs are shot with tranquilizer darts. A girl says a man and a woman raised her in an underground room as an experiment. Roman cuts his leg on a bucket and says “oh God” repeatedly.
None.
What do you know about your family history? Ask your parents or grandparents to tell you stories you might not have heard before.
What does legacy mean? What do you think your family’s legacy is? Do you like that, or do you want to change it?
Read Exodus 20:12. What does it look like for you to honor your parents? What about your grandparents?
You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This is a very unique and compelling story that explores themes such as bravery and family. However, it is also a story that includes elements of horror and magic that could easily disturb many readers and may conflict with some families’ beliefs.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
Rachel Pfeiffer serves as Editor of Focus on the Family Clubhouse magazine, where she acquires and crafts stories to entertain and disciple children. She graduated from Taylor University with a degree in professional writing and Moody Theological Seminary with an MA in Biblical Studies. When she’s not curled up with a good book, she can often be found hiking the beautiful Colorado Rockies.
