Dust lands

Name: Dust lands
Author: Moira Young
ISBN: 9781442430020

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

Raging star

by Moira Young

Dust Lands Trilogy

Reading Level 3-4 MP · Moderate · Physical Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, MP, means moderate content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

Saba and her brother Lugh rally a brave band of rebels to fight against the oppressive DeMalo and his forces. As the battle rages, Saba wrestles with a tempting offer to help create a hopeful new world. Adventure and tough choices collide in this gripping continuation of a thrilling journey.

Themes

Family Adventure Science & Nature Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 3-4 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include mild peril, physical danger. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated Dust lands MP (Moderate)

Dust lands is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 432 pages (approximately 99,171 words). 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.

Read aloud, Dust lands runs about 11 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Dust lands as MP (Moderate, mostly physical) because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril, Physical Danger.

Thematically, Dust lands explores family, adventure, science & nature, and coming of age — 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.
✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, adventure, science & nature.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 2 more books in the Dust Lands Trilogy series.

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

MP · Moderate · Physical

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Moderate ←

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Gentle

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.