Growing Up Free
Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Growing Up Free
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Raising Your Child in the 80's
by Letty Cottin Pogrebin
The text is written at a 8th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
What if boys and girls could grow up without the usual rules about how they should act? Imagine a world where families support each other to be themselves, free from old ideas about boys and girls. But how would this change the way we all live and play together?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Growing Up Free offers thoughtful guidance on raising children without traditional gender roles, promoting a nonsexist approach to family life. Aimed at middle-grade readers, it encourages open-mindedness and empathy through practical advice and programs for families. Parents should be aware that it challenges conventional ideas about gender and social roles in childhood.
Why we rated Growing Up Free 12MS
Growing Up Free is written at a Level 8 reading level across 656 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Growing Up Free works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate Growing Up Free as 12MS ("Moderate — Social") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. The strongest signals come from 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 mild intensity score.
Thematically, Growing Up Free explores child rearing, sex role in children, sexism, family, 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about child rearing, sex role in children, sexism.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12MS — Moderate — SocialLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780553340587
- Pages
- 656
- Publisher
- Bantam Dell Publishing Group
- Published
- October 1983
- Type
- Fiction