The detour

Name: The detour
Author: S. A. Bodeen
ISBN: 9781250055545

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by S. A. Bodeen

Reading Level 3-4 8ME Ages 5-8 Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.

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About This Book

What would you do if a simple car ride turned into a terrifying trap? Livvy Flynn, a young bestselling author, finds herself caught in a scary situation when a stranger and her unpredictable daughter kidnap her. Can Livvy find a way to escape before it's too late?

Themes

AuthorsKidnappingAdventure

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction book follows 17-year-old Livvy Flynn, a successful young author who faces a frightening kidnapping ordeal. Suitable for children around 8 years old and up, it contains suspenseful themes that may require parental guidance for sensitive readers. The story explores themes of courage and resilience in the face of danger.

Why we rated The detour 8ME

The detour is written at a Level 3-4 reading level with a Lexile measure of 620L across 215 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 4.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The detour works for readers up to grade 5.5.

We rate The detour as 8ME ("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, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Kidnapping.

Thematically, The detour explores authors, kidnapping, and adventure — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about authors, kidnapping, adventure.

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.