Breaking sky

Name: Breaking sky
Author: Cori McCarthy
ISBN: 9781492601418

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Cori McCarthy

Reading Level 3-4 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Chase Harcourt isn’t just any pilot—she’s one of the fastest, toughest teens flying the coolest experimental jets in the sky. But when she discovers a secret rival with skills just as sharp, her solo flight turns into a high-stakes race to save the day. Can she trust someone who’s supposed to be her enemy? That could change everything.

Themes

Science & Nature Adventure Friendship Family

Quick Assessment

Chase Harcourt, a tough, impulsive teen fighter pilot, is chosen to test a prototype jet while tensions with an enemy push the world toward war. The story involves high-speed flight peril, military secrecy, and a lonely past tied to a family secret, and the pilots face real danger and moral pressure. Its battle scenes are tense but not graphic, and the story is a fast, suspenseful read that rewards older teens who enjoy military thrillers.

Why we rated Breaking sky LE (Mild)

Breaking sky is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 408 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

We rate Breaking sky as LE (Mild, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, Breaking sky explores science & nature, adventure, friendship, and family — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about science & nature, adventure, friendship.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?