A safe place
Jan Morrison
A safe place
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Beyond Sexual Abuse
by Jan Morrison
The text is written at a 6th 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
Here's a secret: sometimes, the hardest battles happen inside, hidden from the world. Imagine finding a safe place where you can drop your guard and discover what real love and trust truly mean. But that's only the beginning of a powerful journey.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This fiction book sensitively explores the emotional healing journey of children and teenagers who have experienced sexual abuse. Aimed at middle-grade readers (ages 9-12), it offers insights into building healthy relationships and self-help techniques for recovery. Parents should note the mature themes handled with care and appropriate for this age group seeking understanding and support.
Why we rated A safe place 11IE
A safe place is written at a Level 6 reading level across 202 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, A safe place works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate A safe place as 11IE ("Intense — 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, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Sexual Abuse.
Thematically, A safe place explores self-help techniques, healing, friendship, and family — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about self-help techniques, healing, friendship.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11IE — Intense — 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
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780877887478
- Pages
- 202
- Publisher
- Shaw Books
- Published
- 1990
- Type
- Fiction