Rash
Pete Hautman
Rash
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Pete Hautman
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Here’s a secret: Bo Marsten didn’t cause the rash that shut down his whole school, but now he’s stuck working in a frozen pizza factory guarded by polar bears. When he joins a secret football team inside the prison, things get wild—and that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Set in a futuristic world, this young adult novel follows Bo Marsten, who is unfairly sentenced to labor in a remote prison factory. The story explores themes of justice, technology, and survival with a mix of humor and suspense. Suitable for teens, it contains some mild peril and complex themes about society and personal identity.
Why we rated Rash 12ME
Rash is written at a Level 7 reading level across 323 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Rash works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Rash 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, 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, Rash explores humor, science & nature, suspense, law & crime, and sports — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about humor, science & nature, suspense.
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
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
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
- 9780786293124
- Pages
- 323
- Publisher
- Thorndike Press
- Published
- February 2007
- Type
- Fiction