Star We Call Home
Cidney Swanson
Star We Call Home
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
10th Anniversary Special Edition of SAVING MARS
by Cidney Swanson
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 the very planet you call home was on the brink of disaster? Seventeen-year-old pilot Jessamyn faces impossible choices when her brother is captured by powerful enemies, and her heart pulls her toward an unexpected love. Can she save Mars and her family before everything falls apart?
Quick Assessment
Set on a Mars colony, this middle-grade science fiction novel explores themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and young love through the eyes of a brave teenage pilot. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it contains moments of tension and conflict involving political intrigue and family separation but avoids graphic content. The story encourages thoughtful reflection on duty and personal values.
Why we rated Star We Call Home 11ME
Star We Call Home is written at a Level 6 reading level across 293 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Star We Call Home works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Star We Call Home 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, social complexity, thematic difficulty — 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, Star We Call Home explores coming of age, adventure, science & nature, family, and romance — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about coming of age, adventure, science & nature.
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
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781939543783
- Pages
- 293
- Publisher
- Williams Press
- Published
- 2023
- Type
- Fiction