A slave family
Bobbie Kalman
A slave family
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Bobbie Kalman
Colonial People (Crabtree)
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
Discover the everyday experiences and close bonds within an enslaved family living on a colonial American plantation. This story reveals the challenges and resilience of African American families during a difficult period in history. Through their daily lives, readers gain insight into the strength and spirit that shaped their communities.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 6-7 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include historical hardship, family change, social injustice. Written for readers ages 9-12.
Why we rated A slave family 11MN
A slave family is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 32 pages (approximately 4,961 words). Strong independent readers around grade 7.6 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, A slave family works for readers up to grade 8.6.
Read aloud, A slave family takes about 33 minutes, which fits within a single read-aloud session.
We rate A slave family as 11MN ("Moderate — Neutral") 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, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Historical Hardship, Family Change, Social Injustice.
Thematically, A slave family explores african american history, family, historical, and social justice — 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.
- ✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about african american history, family, historical.
- ✓ 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.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11MN — Moderate — NeutralReal 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
5/10Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.
Discussion Potential
6/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 077870792X
- Pages
- 32
- Publisher
- New York ; St. Catharines, Ont. : Crabtree Pub.
- Published
- 2003
- Type
- Nonfiction
- Word Count
- 4,961
- Read-Aloud
- ~33 min
- Text Density
- Standard