What reading level is Scar Island?

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart is at a Level 6 reading level. Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is Scar Island appropriate for?

Scar Island is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 11ME (Moderate — Emotional).

What genre is Scar Island?

Scar Island is fiction — Juvenile Fiction.

Does Scar Island have any content warnings?

Scar Island has a HootRating of 11ME (Moderate — Emotional). No specific content flags noted. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is Scar Island?

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart is 249 pages.

Scar Island

Dan Gemeinhart

Scar Island

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Dan Gemeinhart

Reading Level 6 11ME Ages 9-12 Matched

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

Thunder crashes, and the salty spray of the ocean stings Jonathan’s face as he steps onto Scar Island, a place where every shadow hides a secret. The cold wind howls through the broken halls of the old asylum, where Jonathan and the other boys must learn to survive without the cruel adults who once ruled them. But freedom is just the beginning of the danger—can they escape the island before it disappears beneath the waves?

Themes

BullyingSurvivalGuilt in childrenJuvenile delinquencyFriendship Adventure

Quick Assessment

Scar Island follows twelve-year-old Jonathan Grisby, who is sent to a harsh reformatory housed in a former asylum. After a lightning strike kills the staff, the boys are left to fend for themselves on an island that is slowly sinking. This middle-grade novel explores themes of bullying, survival, and guilt, appropriate for ages 9-12, with some intense scenes of peril and conflict.