Lost and found
Judy Baer
Lost and found
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Judy Baer
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Peggy faces the challenges of a tough year, hoping for brighter days ahead, but new struggles emerge that test her strength and courage. As the difficulties deepen, she discovers the importance of support and resilience in overcoming hardship.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 4-5 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include alcoholism, emotional: fear & anxiety, emotional: mental health. Written for readers ages 13+.
Why we rated Lost and found 9ME
Lost and found is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 140 pages (approximately 29,813 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Lost and found works for readers up to grade 6.5.
Read aloud, Lost and found runs about 3.3 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Lost and found as 9ME ("Moderate — 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, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Alcoholism, Emotional: Fear & Anxiety, Emotional: Mental Health.
Thematically, Lost and found explores coming of age, family, high school life, christian life, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.
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 coming of age, family, high school life.
- ✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there is one more book in the Cedar River Daydreams series.
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
9ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
4/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
More in the Cedar River Daydreams Series
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 1556612435
- Pages
- 140
- Publisher
- Bethany House Publishers
- Published
- 1992
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 29,813
- Read-Aloud
- ~3h 19m
- Text Density
- Standard