Oath breaker

Name: Oath breaker
Author: Michelle Paver
ISBN: 9780060728373

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Michelle Paver

Reading Level 6 ME · Moderate · Emotional 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. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible Find on Bookshop.org

We may earn a commission from these links. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores with every purchase.

About This Book

Torak moves carefully around the glowing fire, but Thiazzi is right behind him, cracking his whip like a wild lynx playing with its prey. Torak’s tired, and he knows he can’t keep running forever. Suddenly, everything changes—what will happen next?

Themes

Adventure Friendship Fantasy World-BuildingGood and EvilComing of Age

Quick Assessment

Torak, once an outcast, vows revenge after a close friend is killed and follows the killer into a dark forest where clans have been seduced by the Soul-Eaters. Expect intense fight scenes, fire, war, and supernatural evil, along with grief and guilt that the story treats seriously. It is a thoughtful prehistoric adventure about keeping promises and the real cost of vengeance, best suited to confident readers around age nine and up.

Why we rated Oath breaker ME (Moderate)

Oath breaker is written at a Level 6 reading level across 292 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage Oath breaker on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Oath breaker as ME (Moderate, mostly 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, thematic difficulty — 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, Oath breaker explores adventure, friendship, fantasy world-building, good and evil, and coming of age — 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 adventure, friendship, fantasy world-building.

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

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Moderate

Social

Mild

Thematic

Moderate

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.

Data confidence: high

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