Moon over Tennessee

Name: Moon over Tennessee
Author: Craig Crist-Evans
ISBN: 0395912083

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

A Boy's Civil War Journal

by Craig Crist-Evans

Reading Level 6-7 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

What would you do if your father went off to fight in a war you didn’t fully understand? Imagine discovering a diary that holds secrets from the Civil War, right in your own home in Tennessee. Could these pages change everything you thought you knew about family and courage?

Themes

Fathers and sonsDiariesHistorical Family

Quick Assessment

Moon over Tennessee is a historical fiction novel set during the Civil War, exploring the relationship between fathers and sons through the discovery of a diary. Suitable for ages 9-12, it provides insight into American history while addressing themes of family and personal growth. Parents should note that the book touches on war-related content appropriate for middle-grade readers.

Why we rated Moon over Tennessee LE (Mild)

Moon over Tennessee is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 60 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 8 and up can manage Moon over Tennessee on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Moon over Tennessee as LE (Mild, mostly 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, Moon over Tennessee explores fathers and sons, diaries, historical, and family — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about fathers and sons, diaries, historical.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

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