Ginger Pye contains no overt violence, but the author knows her audience well enough to address an aspect of life that ordinarily fascinates children. For example, Gracie the Cat has a habit of ripping open the stomachs of her prey if the Pyes' reactions to her catches are not sufficiently effusive. The children shudder at the story of Bit-Nose Ned, whose nose was bitten off by a dog and had to be surgically reattached. None of these anecdotes is described graphically, but Estes' concern obviously lies in depicting a realistic children's world rather than in whitewashing a story. At the close of the book, Ginger's suffering at the hands of his abductors is alluded to but not overemphasized; excitement about his escape and the joy of his reunion with the Pyes balance the reader's sympathy for his suffering.