Show me your Rocky Mountains!

Name: Show me your Rocky Mountains!
Author: Thelma Hatch Wyss
ISBN: 0877479208

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Thelma Hatch Wyss

Reading Level 4-5 MS · Moderate · Social Ages 9-12 Matched Rich Discussion

The text is written at a 4th 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. Its HootRating code, MS, means moderate content, mostly social.

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About This Book

Can a twelve-year-old coal miner from England survive a stormy ocean crossing, a bumpy train ride, and a long walk pulling a handcart across America? Ben's journey to the Promised Land is only just beginning, and every mile brings a new challenge he never expected to face.

Themes

Family Coming of Age Adventure Historical

Quick Assessment

Follows a twelve-year-old collier who leaves England in 1856 with his mother and brother, crossing the Atlantic by chartered ship and then traveling by train and handcart toward the Mormon Promised Land. Parents should know the story centers on Latter-day Saint faith and the physical hardship of a long overland trek, including travel strain and time away from home. It offers a gentle, historical look at pioneer perseverance and family loyalty that suits middle-grade readers.

Why we rated Show me your Rocky Mountains! MS (Moderate)

Show me your Rocky Mountains! is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 133 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage Show me your Rocky Mountains! on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Show me your Rocky Mountains! as MS (Moderate, mostly social) because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Religious Themes, Poverty & Hardship.

Thematically, Show me your Rocky Mountains! explores family, coming of age, adventure, and historical — 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.
✓ Family book clubs, classroom read-alouds, and parents who want a strong conversation hook.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, coming of age, adventure.

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

MS · Moderate · Social

Emotional

Mild

Physical

Mild

Social

Moderate ←

Thematic

Mild

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.