Finding Lubchenko

Name: Finding Lubchenko
Author: Michael Simmons
ISBN: 9781595140210

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Michael Simmons

Reading Level 6 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

A Junior Library Guild selection

The text is written at a 6th 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, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Here's a secret: Evan's father is accused of a terrible crime he didn't commit. With a stolen laptop full of clues, Evan and his friends race from Seattle all the way to Paris to uncover the truth—but that's only the beginning.

Themes

Mystery Adventure Family Friendship

Quick Assessment

When his father is framed for murder and bioterrorism, a high-school junior uses clues from a stolen laptop and cryptic e-mails to travel from Seattle to Paris with two friends and find the real culprit. The story explores a father-son bond under strain and a teen who must face the consequences of his own secret thefts, with suspense, murder, and threats of biological attack. It is a good fit for readers who enjoy fast-paced thrillers, and parents may want to talk through the moral choices and the danger the characters face.

Why we rated Finding Lubchenko ME (Moderate)

Finding Lubchenko is written at a Level 6 reading level across 280 pages. 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.

We rate Finding Lubchenko 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Murder, Bioterrorism.

Thematically, Finding Lubchenko explores mystery, adventure, family, and friendship — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about mystery, adventure, family.
✓ Readers (and parents) who care about award-recognized writing — Finding Lubchenko carries an award.

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

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Moderate

Thematic

Moderate

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.