Stealing Home
Ellen Schwartz
Stealing Home
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Ellen Schwartz
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 game you love the most could change the world? Imagine being nine years old and caught between two neighborhoods, two families, and a time when baseball was more than just a game. When a new hero steps up to the plate, will Joey find his place both on the field and in history?
Quick Assessment
Set in 1947, this middle-grade novel follows Joey Sexton, a mixed-race boy navigating life after his mother's death and adjusting to a new family and community in Brooklyn. Through the lens of baseball and the historic integration of the sport by Jackie Robinson, the story explores themes of identity, family, and social change. Suitable for ages 9-12, it offers a thoughtful look at race, heritage, and perseverance during a pivotal moment in American history.
Why we rated Stealing Home 11ME
Stealing Home is written at a Level 6 reading level across 217 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Stealing Home works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Stealing 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 — 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, Stealing Home explores historical, sports, family, identity & self-discovery, and coming of age — 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 historical, sports, family.
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
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780887767654
- Pages
- 217
- Publisher
- National Geographic Books
- Published
- May 9, 2006
- Type
- Fiction