Call to war
Adam Blade
Call to war
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Adam Blade
The text is written at a 4th 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 magical mask held the power to control all the beasts in a wild, dangerous land? Tanner, Gwen, and Castor are on a thrilling quest to find its missing pieces before the evil General Gor uses it to conquer Avantia. But with battles to fight, secrets to uncover, and friendships tested, will they come together in time to save their world?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fantasy adventure follows three friends as they embark on a quest to stop an evil army from gaining control over magical beasts by assembling an ancient mask. The story includes themes of friendship, teamwork, and courage, with some scenes of fantasy combat and mild peril suitable for ages 9-12. Parents should note the presence of battle sequences and moments of interpersonal conflict among the main characters.
Why we rated Call to war 9ME
Call to war is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 172 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Call to war works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Call to war as 9ME ("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, Call to war explores adventure, fantasy world-building, friendship, quests, and human-animal relationships — 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, friendship.
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
9ME — 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
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780545361552
- Pages
- 172
- Publisher
- Scholastic Inc.
- Published
- 2013
- Type
- Fiction