Take the Reins

Name: Take the Reins
Author: Jessica Burkhart
ISBN: 9781416958406

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Jessica Burkhart

Reading Level 3-4 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

The rhythmic clip-clop of hooves echoes across the sunlit arena, dust swirling in the warm breeze. Sasha feels Charm's steady breath beneath her, heart pounding with every jump and turn. But the eyes watching her aren't all friendly—can she prove she belongs where the stakes are as high as the fences?

Themes

Friendship Coming of Age Family Sports Adventure

Quick Assessment

This novel follows Sasha Silver as she navigates the challenges of joining an elite equestrian academy where competition and social pressures run high. Suitable for teens aged 13-18, it explores themes of perseverance, friendship, and self-confidence in a competitive environment. Parents should note the story involves interpersonal conflict but no graphic content.

Why we rated Take the Reins LE (Mild)

Take the Reins is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 192 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

We rate Take the Reins as LE (Mild, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, Take the Reins explores friendship, coming of age, family, sports, and adventure — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, coming of age, family.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Mild

Thematic

Gentle

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?