Buried
Melissa Grey
Buried
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Melissa Grey
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
What if a disaster forced your whole town to live underground, hiding from the deadly sunlight? Imagine never stepping outside or touching another person, all to stay safe—and what happens when the most important rule is broken. Could you survive the secrets buried in the dark?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Buried by Melissa Grey is a tense young adult science fiction novel set in a post-apocalyptic underground community. The story explores themes of survival, trust, and fear as young residents navigate strict rules meant to protect them from a mysterious surface danger. Suitable for teens, it contains suspenseful and intense moments but no graphic content.
Why we rated Buried 12ME
Buried is written at a Level 7 reading level across 336 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Buried works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Buried 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, physical peril, 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, Buried explores young adult fiction, action & adventure, science & nature, apocalyptic & post-apocalyptic, and survival — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about young adult fiction, action & adventure, science & nature.
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
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
1/10A 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
- 9781338629309
- Pages
- 336
- Publisher
- Scholastic Press
- Published
- 2021
- Type
- Fiction