Hawk

Name: Hawk
Author: James Patterson
ISBN: 9780316494410

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by James Patterson

Reading Level 7 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 7th 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

Hawk races through the crumbling streets of a post-apocalyptic New York, heart pounding as shadows close in behind her. She’s been told to wait for her family—but no one has come. Suddenly, danger strikes, and Hawk must decide: run or face the unknown waiting in the darkness.

Themes

Adventure Science & Nature Survival Family Coming of Age Fantasy World-Building

Quick Assessment

Hawk follows a teen who has grown up alone in a ruined, post-apocalyptic New York as she searches for her missing parents and her own identity, only to learn that someone wants her dead. Expect a steady sense of danger, grief over lost family, and a threatened execution, with fantasy-style action and an ending that sets up more of the story. It suits readers who enjoy dark dystopian adventure with a sci-fi edge.

Why we rated Hawk ME (Moderate)

Hawk is written at a Level 7 reading level across 368 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 Hawk 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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril, Suspense.

Thematically, Hawk explores adventure, science & nature, survival, family, 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 ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, science & nature, survival.

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.