Home is where we live
Bonnie Lee Groth
Home is where we live
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Life at a Shelter Through a Young Girl's Eyes
by Bonnie Lee Groth
The text is written at a 2nd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
Here’s a secret: sometimes a place that feels scary at first can become a new kind of home. Imagine living somewhere you never expected, where kindness slowly turns fear into hope—but that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This picture book offers a gentle and honest look at a young girl's experience living in a homeless shelter over seven months. Suitable for early readers ages 5-8, it uses photographs and simple text to explore themes of fear, safety, and resilience without graphic details. Parents should know it sensitively addresses homelessness and shelters in a way accessible to young children.
Why we rated Home is where we live 7MS
Home is where we live is written at a Level 2 reading level across 30 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 3.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Home is where we live works for readers up to grade 4.0.
We rate Home is where we live as 7MS ("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 — 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, Home is where we live explores homelessness, family, resilience, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about homelessness, family, resilience.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
7MS — 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
- 094089534X
- Pages
- 30
- Publisher
- Cornerstone Press Chicago
- Published
- 1995
- Type
- Fiction