Samurai girl
Carrie Asai
Samurai girl
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
The book of the wind
by Carrie Asai
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.
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About This Book
What if you were the only survivor of a plane crash and named Heaven by the newspapers? Imagine growing up pampered in Tokyo, only to lose everything and have to start all over. Now in Las Vegas, with danger around every corner, how will you survive when the person you love is gone?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Samurai Girl follows Heaven, a young woman who survives a tragic plane crash and grows up in a wealthy Tokyo family before facing loss and danger in Las Vegas. Suitable for middle-grade readers, this story explores themes of survival, resilience, and identity. Parents should note the story involves emotional challenges and some perilous situations, appropriate for ages 9-12.
Why we rated Samurai girl 11ME
Samurai girl is written at a Level 6 reading level across 203 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Samurai girl works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Samurai girl as 11ME ("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 — 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, Samurai girl explores young women, survival, adventure, family, and identity & self-discovery — 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 young women, survival, adventure.
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
11ME — 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
2/10A 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
- 9780689864339
- Pages
- 203
- Publisher
- Simon Pulse
- Published
- 2003
- Type
- Fiction