The girl who owned a city
Dan Jolley
The girl who owned a city
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
The Graphic Novel
by Dan Jolley
The text is written at a 4th 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
Lisa races through the empty streets, her heart pounding as danger lurks behind every corner. With only kids under twelve left alive, every step could be their last. Suddenly, a shadow moves ahead—what will happen next?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade graphic novel follows ten-year-old Lisa as she navigates a post-apocalyptic world where a plague has wiped out all adults. She leads a group of children striving to survive and rebuild society. Suitable for ages 9-12, the book contains themes of survival and resilience with some scenes of mild peril.
Why we rated The girl who owned a city 9ME
The girl who owned a city is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 132 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The girl who owned a city works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate The girl who owned a city as 9ME ("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, 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, The girl who owned a city explores survival, science & nature, adventure, and graphic novels — 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 survival, science & nature, 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.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9ME — 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
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780761349037
- Pages
- 132
- Publisher
- Graphic Universe
- Published
- 2010
- Type
- Fiction