River run

Name: River run
Author: Deirdre Black
ISBN: 9780761383260

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Deirdre Black

After the Dust Settled

Reading Level 3-4 MP · Moderate · Physical Ages 13+ Heads Up Page-Turner

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, MP, means moderate content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

In a frozen, post-apocalyptic world, Freya and Finn journey along the Mississippi River, hoping to find safety in a place called Norlins. Along the way, they face dangerous slavers and the harsh struggle to survive the bitter cold and hunger. Their adventure tests their courage and determination in a world turned upside down.

Themes

Science & Nature Survival Adventure

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 3-4 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include physical danger, realistic violence, survival. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated River run MP (Moderate)

River run is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 120 pages (approximately 16,364 words). Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

Read aloud, River run runs about 1.8 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate River run as MP (Moderate, mostly physical) 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Physical Danger, Realistic Violence, Survival.

Thematically, River run explores science & nature, survival, and adventure — 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.
✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about science & nature, survival, adventure.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 5 more books in the After the Dust Settled series.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.

For Parents

Content Intensity

MP · Moderate · Physical

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Moderate ←

Social

Gentle

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.