The Broken Places
Joseph McBride, Michelle Anne Schingler
The Broken Places
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Joseph McBride, Michelle Anne Schingler
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes.
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About This Book
What happens when your world feels like it's falling apart? A young boy faces hard times with family struggles and tough feelings in a place where many secrets hide. Can he find hope and love in the darkest moments?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores the challenging experiences of a boy growing up amid family dysfunction, addiction, and mental health struggles in the 1960s Midwest. It offers a raw and honest look at difficult topics such as psychological abuse and recovery, with themes of love and resilience. Suitable for ages 9-12, parents should be aware of mature themes including mental health crises and family challenges.
Why we rated The Broken Places 12IE
The Broken Places is written at a Level 7 reading level across 336 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Broken Places works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate The Broken Places as 12IE ("Intense — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Psychological Abuse, Family Dysfunction, Addiction, Mental Health Struggles.
Thematically, The Broken Places explores family, mental health, addiction, biography, and love — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, mental health, addiction.
- ✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 9-12 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12IE — Intense — EmotionalHeavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Content Flags
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781943784127
- Pages
- 336
- Publisher
- Vervante
- Published
- 2015-11-01
- Type
- Nonfiction