Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
Chasing freedom
Nikki Grimes
Chasing freedom
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, Inspired by Historical Facts
by Nikki Grimes
Illustrated by Michele Wood
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LS, means mild content, mostly social.
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About This Book
Did you know Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony once shared stories over tea about their secret missions and brave fights for freedom and rights? Their tales are filled with courage and clever plans, but that's only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This imaginative fictionalized biography brings together Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony in a reflective conversation about their roles in the Underground Railroad and women's suffrage. Suitable for middle-grade readers, it explores themes of freedom, justice, and activism in an accessible manner without graphic content. Parents should know it sensitively handles historical struggles such as slavery and discrimination.
Why we rated Chasing freedom LS (Mild)
Chasing freedom is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 53 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 8 and up can manage Chasing freedom on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.
We rate Chasing freedom as LS (Mild, mostly social) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. The strongest signals come from social complexity — 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 mild intensity score.
Thematically, Chasing freedom explores feminists, underground railroad, juvenile fiction, suffrage, and slavery — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about feminists, underground railroad, juvenile fiction.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
LS · Mild · SocialReading 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.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780439793384
- Pages
- 53
- Publisher
- Orchard Books
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction