Home Is With Our Family
Joyce Hansen
Home Is With Our Family
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Joyce Hansen
The text is written at a 6th 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
The smell of fresh bread and the sound of laughter fill the busy streets of Maria's neighborhood. As she turns thirteen, Maria dreams of joining great speakers and fighting for justice, but a new threat looms—her home might be taken away to make way for a city park. With a new friend by her side, Maria faces challenges that test her courage and heart like never before.
Quick Assessment
Set in 19th-century New York City, this middle-grade novel follows thirteen-year-old Maria as she confronts the challenges of her community facing displacement. The story sensitively explores themes of family, friendship, and social change, offering rich historical detail appropriate for ages 9-12. Parents should note the book deals with issues like community upheaval and personal hardship in a thoughtful, accessible way.
Why we rated Home Is With Our Family 11LE
Home Is With Our Family is written at a Level 6 reading level across 288 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Home Is With Our Family works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Home Is With Our Family as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, Home Is With Our Family explores family, friendship, historical, 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, friendship, historical.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight 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
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780786852178
- Pages
- 288
- Publisher
- Jump At The Sun
- Published
- 2010
- Type
- Fiction