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Mission to Moon Farm

K. E. Rocha

Cover of Mission to Moon Farm

Mission to Moon Farm

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by K. E. Rocha

Illustrated by Dearsley, Ross, illustrator

Reading Level 6 11ME Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.

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About This Book

The crisp, pine-scented air fills your lungs as the crunch of leaves underfoot echoes through the forest. Spencer Plain, once a normal kid with peanut butter toast breakfasts, now speaks a secret bear language and races through the woods on daring rescue missions. But when a shocking secret breaks his trust, everything changes—and a new adventure to save his best friend begins.

Themes

AdventureFriendshipHuman-animal communicationJuvenile fiction

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction follows Spencer, a boy who finds himself living among bears and learning their language after his parents go missing. The story explores themes of friendship, courage, and trust, with elements of suspense and mild peril suitable for ages 9-12. Parents should be aware of the kidnapping theme, though it is handled with sensitivity appropriate for the target audience.

Why we rated Mission to Moon Farm 11ME

Mission to Moon Farm is written at a Level 6 reading level across 209 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Mission to Moon Farm works for readers up to grade 8.0.

We rate Mission to Moon Farm 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Kidnapping.

Thematically, Mission to Moon Farm explores adventure, friendship, human-animal communication, and juvenile fiction — 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.
  • Kids drawn to stories about adventure, friendship, human-animal communication.

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 — Emotional
Emotional
Moderate
Physical
Light
Social
Light
Thematic
Light

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Content Flags

Kidnapping
Data confidence: standard

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

2/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

2/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
5
Emotional Weight
6
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

209 pages
ISBN
9780545813044
Pages
209
Publisher
Scholastic Press
Published
2016
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

KidnappingBearsHuman-animal CommunicationIllustrated Children's BooksBest FriendsFriendshipRescues