A parting gift
Frances Sharkey
A parting gift
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Frances Sharkey
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
This book tells the powerful story of a doctor who meets a brave young boy named David fighting leukemia. She discovers what it truly means to be strong when facing something as scary as death—and learns lessons that change her forever. It's a story about courage and the special ways we care for those who are very sick.
Themes
Quick Assessment
A Parting Gift is a sensitive middle-grade fiction book exploring the emotional journey of a pediatrician and her young leukemia patient. It provides insight into the psychological aspects of children facing terminal illness, focusing on themes of courage, grief, and emotional needs. Suitable for ages 9-12, it handles the topic of death with care and may prompt meaningful conversations about loss and empathy.
Why we rated A parting gift 9ME
A parting gift is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 162 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, A parting gift works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate A parting gift as 9ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Death & Grief, Fear & Anxiety, Illness & Injury.
Thematically, A parting gift explores family, emotional growth, friendship, medical experience, and coming of age — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, emotional growth, friendship.
- ✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 0312597487
- Pages
- 162
- Publisher
- St. Martin's Press
- Published
- 1982
- Type
- Nonfiction