Blood Mountain
James Preller
Blood Mountain
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by James Preller
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
What if a simple family hike turned into a race for survival? Imagine being lost on a wild mountain with only your courage and your sibling by your side. But the biggest question is — who will find you first: the ranger or the shadowy stranger lurking in the woods?
Quick Assessment
Blood Mountain is a gripping middle-grade survival adventure featuring siblings Carter and Grace who become separated from their father and must rely on each other to navigate dangerous wilderness. Told from multiple perspectives, it explores themes of family, resilience, and trust. Suitable for ages 9-12, it contains mild peril but no graphic content.
Why we rated Blood Mountain 11ME
Blood Mountain is written at a Level 6 reading level across 240 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Blood Mountain works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Blood Mountain as 11ME ("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.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Blood Mountain explores adventure, survival, family, and siblings — 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 adventure, survival, family.
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
11ME — 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
2/10A 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
- 9781250174857
- Pages
- 240
- Publisher
- Feiwel & Friends
- Published
- 2019
- Type
- Fiction