Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated October 18, 2026

My America: My Brother's Keeper

Mary Pope Osborne, Katy Burkett, Ann McGovern, Patricia MacLachlan, Eva Moore, Anne Capeci, Jennifer Johnston, Rebecca Carmi, Ann Schreiber, Jerry Pallotta, Joanna Cole, Kathryn Lasky, Deborah Heiligman, Gail Gibbons, Barbara Kerley, Marilyn Burns

My America: My Brother's Keeper

Name: My America: My Brother's Keeper
Author: Mary Pope Osborne, Katy Burkett, Ann McGovern, Patricia MacLachlan, Eva Moore, Anne Capeci, Jennifer Johnston, Rebecca Carmi, Ann Schreiber, Jerry Pallotta, Joanna Cole, Kathryn Lasky, Deborah Heiligman, Gail Gibbons, Barbara Kerley, Marilyn Burns
ISBN: 9780439369039

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

Intermediate, Levels 500-599

by Mary Pope Osborne, Katy Burkett, Ann McGovern, Patricia MacLachlan, Eva Moore, Anne Capeci, Jennifer Johnston, Rebecca Carmi, Ann Schreiber, Jerry Pallotta, Joanna Cole, Kathryn Lasky, Deborah Heiligman, Gail Gibbons, Barbara Kerley, Marilyn Burns

Reading Level 4-5 MS · Moderate · Social Ages 9-12 Matched Rich Discussion

The text is written at a 4th 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. Its HootRating code, MS, means moderate content, mostly social.

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About This Book

Ginny Dickens promised her big brother Jed she would keep a journal, and she quickly discovers that her quiet town of Gettysburg is about to become the center of a terrible battle. Soldiers pour into the town square, the injured fill every corner, and Ginny must find out whether Jed is among them. Her pen may be the only thing that can tell his story.

Themes

Historical Family Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

Ginny keeps a journal during the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War, after promising her older brother Jed she would record what happens while he serves in the Union army. Readers see wounded soldiers filling a makeshift hospital, and the story includes a brother's injury and recovery, with the battle's casualties described without graphic detail. The book ends with Ginny witnessing President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, a hopeful close that suits readers who are ready for historical fiction about war.

Why we rated My America: My Brother's Keeper MS (Moderate)

My America: My Brother's Keeper is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 112 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage My America: My Brother's Keeper on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate My America: My Brother's Keeper as MS (Moderate, mostly social) because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from physical peril, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: War & Conflict, Illness & Injury.

Thematically, My America: My Brother's Keeper explores historical, family, and coming of age — 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 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Family book clubs, classroom read-alouds, and parents who want a strong conversation hook.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about historical, family, coming of age.

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

MS · Moderate · Social

Emotional

Mild

Physical

Moderate

Social

Moderate ←

Thematic

Gentle

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

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