Scent of Rain
Anne Montgomery
Scent of Rain
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Anne Montgomery
The text is written at a 7th 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
Rose Madsen dares to leave everything she’s ever known in a strict community, and Adan Reyes is fighting to break free from a tough foster home. Together, they escape to the wild mountains, but danger isn’t far behind. Can they trust anyone when the stakes are this high?
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction follows Rose and Adan, two young teens fleeing difficult family situations—a fundamentalist religious community and an abusive foster home. The story explores themes of trust, resilience, and courage in the face of adversity, suitable for ages 9-12. Parents should note themes of family conflict and emotional challenges, but no graphic content.
Why we rated Scent of Rain 12ME
Scent of Rain is written at a Level 7 reading level across 386 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Scent of Rain works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Scent of Rain 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, social complexity — 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, Scent of Rain explores family, adventure, friendship, coming of age, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.
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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, adventure, friendship.
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
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
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780996390149
- Pages
- 386
- Publisher
- Treehouse Publishing Group
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction