Missing Persons League
Frank Bonham
Missing Persons League
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Frank Bonham
The text is written at a 6th 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
The salty sting of sour seas fills the air as he races through crumbling streets, eyes desperate to find his missing family. Oxygen is scarce and every breath feels like a fight for survival. Suddenly, shadows appear—are they friend or foe?
Quick Assessment
Set in a dystopian future marked by environmental collapse and scarce resources, this young adult novel follows a high school boy's urgent quest to find his missing family. The story explores themes of survival and authority conflict, suitable for readers aged 13 and up, with some tense scenes involving danger and suspense.
Why we rated Missing Persons League 11ME
Missing Persons League is written at a Level 6 reading level across 236 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Missing Persons League works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Missing Persons League as 11ME ("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, physical peril — 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 moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Missing Persons League explores adventure, survival, family, and science & nature — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, survival, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A 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
- 9780590053877
- Pages
- 236
- Publisher
- Scholastic
- Published
- June 1983
- Type
- Fiction