Flashpoint

Name: Flashpoint
Author: Gordon Korman
ISBN: 9780545521475

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Gordon Korman

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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

What if you only had a few days to live and the cure was hidden all over the world? Fifteen-year-old Amy Cahill races against time, collecting mysterious ingredients while facing dangers at every turn. But stopping a powerful villain might cost her everything — can she save the world before it's too late?

Themes

Adventure FamilyBrothers and SistersJuvenile Fiction

Quick Assessment

Flashpoint follows fifteen-year-old Amy Cahill as she embarks on a global quest to find ingredients for a life-saving antidote. Alongside her younger brother, she faces perilous challenges while trying to stop a dangerous antagonist from gaining ultimate power. Suitable for middle-grade readers, this adventure story explores themes of bravery, family bonds, and sacrifice without graphic content.

Why we rated Flashpoint ME (Moderate)

Flashpoint is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 222 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage Flashpoint on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Flashpoint 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, physical peril — 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, Flashpoint explores adventure, family, brothers and sisters, and juvenile fiction — 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 adventure, family, brothers and sisters.

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

Moderate

Social

Gentle

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.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?