Far from the place we called home

Name: Far from the place we called home
Author: Sarah M. Schleimer
ISBN: 0873066677

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Sarah M. Schleimer

Reading Level 6 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched Rich Discussion

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. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Evacuated across the sea from Nazi Germany, a group of Jewish children arrives in England with nothing but what they can carry. Their parents are somewhere far behind them, and the war is still raging. How can they keep their faith alive, build a new life, and find their way back to the families they lost?

Themes

Historical Family Friendship Coming of Age Multicultural

Quick Assessment

After being sent from Nazi Germany to England during World War II, several Jewish children must hold onto their religious traditions while adjusting to unfamiliar homes and losing contact with their parents. The story deals with displacement, separation, and the Holocaust-era persecution that drove the children away, and it is handled with a focus on resilience and hope. It suits middle-grade readers and is a thoughtful choice for families ready to discuss wartime history.

Why we rated Far from the place we called home ME (Moderate)

Far from the place we called home is written at a Level 6 reading level across 238 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage Far from the place we called home on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Far from the place we called home as ME (Moderate, mostly 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Loss & Grief, Divorce & Family Change, War & Conflict.

Thematically, Far from the place we called home explores historical, family, friendship, coming of age, and multicultural — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Family book clubs, classroom read-alouds, and parents who want a strong conversation hook.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about historical, family, friendship.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Moderate

Thematic

Mild

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.