Biome
Ryan Galloway
Biome
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Ryan Galloway
The text is written at a 7th 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
What if every week, your memories were wiped clean and you never noticed? On Mars Colony One, Lizzy and her friends grow plants, eat food from 3D printers, and live inside giant domes—while losing their memories every Sunday night. But one day, Lizzy wakes up with all the secrets from the whole colony—now what?
Quick Assessment
Set on Mars, this middle-grade novel follows sixteen-year-old Lizzy and her fellow cadets as they work to terraform the planet while undergoing weekly memory wipes. When Lizzy suddenly retains all memories, she uncovers unsettling secrets, creating suspense and ethical questions suitable for ages 9-12. The story explores themes of memory, trust, and identity within a sci-fi setting, with mild tension and no graphic content.
Why we rated Biome 12ME
Biome is written at a Level 7 reading level across 330 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Biome works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Biome as 12ME ("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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Biome explores adventure, science & nature, friendship, mystery, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, science & nature, friendship.
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
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780997855821
- Pages
- 330
- Publisher
- Stranger Fiction LLC
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction