Digging For Philip
Greg Jackson-Davis
Digging For Philip
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Greg Jackson-Davis
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
What if digging near your summer cottage uncovered a restless spirit from long ago? Fourteen-year-old Philip unearths Tikumiwaewidung, an Anishinaabe spirit upset about the past and demanding justice. Can Philip help lay the spirits to rest before it’s too late?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows fourteen-year-old Philip as he encounters a Native American spirit tied to the history of colonization around his summer lake. The story explores themes of cultural history and responsibility, with some supernatural and emotional elements. Suitable for ages 9-12, it thoughtfully introduces readers to complex historical and social issues through a fictional narrative.
Why we rated Digging For Philip 11ME
Digging For Philip is written at a Level 6 reading level across 248 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Digging For Philip works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Digging For Philip 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, social complexity, 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, Digging For Philip explores adventure, mystery, native american history, coming of age, and social justice — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, mystery, native american history.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
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
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 1894283422
- Pages
- 248
- Publisher
- Great Plains Pub.
- Published
- 2003
- Type
- Fiction