Poisoned for profit
Philip Shabecoff, Alice Shabecoff
Poisoned for profit
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
How Toxins are Making Our Children Chronically Ill
by Philip Shabecoff, Alice Shabecoff
The text is written at a 7th 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
What happens when something meant to help turns out to be harmful? Imagine a family facing unexpected dangers from a product they trusted. Can they uncover the truth before it's too late?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction explores the impact of toxic substances on families, highlighting medical and public health concerns through a compelling narrative. Suitable for ages 9-12, it thoughtfully addresses themes around family dynamics and children with special needs, providing a foundation for discussions about safety and awareness.
Why we rated Poisoned for profit 12ME
Poisoned for profit is written at a Level 7 reading level across 378 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Poisoned for profit works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Poisoned for profit as 12ME ("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, 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, Poisoned for profit explores family, children with special needs, medical, public health, and toxicology — 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 family, children with special needs, medical.
- ✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.
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
12ME — 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
1/10A 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
- 9781603582568
- Pages
- 378
- Publisher
- Chelsea Green Publishing
- Published
- 2010
- Type
- Nonfiction