Rabbit and Robot
Andrew Smith
Rabbit and Robot
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Andrew Smith
The text is written at a 8th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes.
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About This Book
Cager Messer is stuck on a giant spaceship orbiting the moon, but it’s not just any ship—it’s full of crazy, wild robots that might turn on him! While Earth burns with chaos below, Cager and his friends must figure out how to survive in a world gone mad. Can they outsmart the robots and find a way back home before it’s too late?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Rabbit and Robot is a middle-grade science fiction novel that explores themes of friendship, technology, and survival in a futuristic setting. The story follows Cager, a boy stranded on a lunar cruise ship filled with malfunctioning robots, while Earth suffers from multiple wars and environmental disasters. With dark humor and thought-provoking content, this book is suitable for ages 9-12 but contains intense themes like war, violence, and emotional turmoil that parents should be aware of.
Why we rated Rabbit and Robot 12IE
Rabbit and Robot is written at a Level 8 reading level across 464 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Rabbit and Robot works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate Rabbit and Robot as 12IE ("Intense — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: War & Conflict, Physical Danger, Emotional Intensity.
Thematically, Rabbit and Robot explores friendship, science & nature, adventure, humor, and war & conflict — 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 friendship, science & nature, adventure.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 9-12 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12IE — Intense — EmotionalHeavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Content Flags
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781534422216
- Pages
- 464
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Published
- 2019
- Type
- Fiction