Blue Moon
Dawn Stewardson
Blue Moon
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Dawn Stewardson
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
The crisp mountain air carries the crunch of boots on rocky paths as prospectors rush through the Sierra Nevada, chasing dreams of gold. Suddenly, a strange girl with shiny running shoes and a glowing box appears, claiming she’s from the future. What secrets does she hold, and how will she change a wild land filled with danger and mystery?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Set in 1862 Nevada Territory, this middle-grade historical fantasy follows Dr. Henry Lockhart, a busy frontier doctor, whose life takes a turn when Erica James, a girl from 1989, arrives with futuristic technology. The story blends historical adventure with supernatural elements, exploring themes of danger, survival, and loss. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it contains references to frontier violence and death but handles them with moderate intensity.
Why we rated Blue Moon 11ME
Blue Moon is written at a Level 6 reading level across 289 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Blue Moon works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Blue Moon 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, Blue Moon explores adventure, fantasy world-building, supernatural, historical, and death fiction — 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, fantasy world-building, supernatural.
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
- 9780312532765
- Pages
- 289
- Publisher
- St. Martin's Press
- Published
- 2009
- Type
- Fiction