æt mək swˈeɪn ˌɛlɪmˈɛntɚɹi skˈuːl vɜːdʒˈɪniə, tˈuː pˈɛɹənts, lˈɪndə bˈeɪli ænd bˈɛvɚli dˈʌdli ɛkspɹˈɛst ðɛɹ kənsˈɜːnz ɐbˌaʊt ðə jˈuːs ʌv pɹəfˈænᵻɾi ænd ɡɹˈæfɪk dᵻskɹˈɪpʃənz ʌv vˈaɪələnt wˈɔːɹ stˈoːɹiz ðæt tˈeɪk plˈeɪs wɪðˌɪn ðə nˈɑːvəl.
At McSwain Elementary School (Virginia), two parents, Linda Bailey and Beverly Dudley expressed their concerns about the use of profanity and graphic descriptions of violent war stories that take place within the novel.