The gone away place
Christopher Barzak
The gone away place
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Christopher Barzak
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
Ellie’s town was shattered by tornadoes that changed everything—and now, ghosts of her best friends walk beside her every day. She’s the only one who can see them, and that gives her a strange power to help set them free. But what if helping the ghosts means facing the hardest parts of her own heart?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores themes of loss, trauma, and healing through the story of Ellie, a girl coping with the aftermath of devastating tornadoes in her small town. It thoughtfully addresses grief and friendship, incorporating supernatural elements as Ellie encounters the ghosts of those lost. Suitable for ages 9-12, the book sensitively handles difficult topics like death and memory, making it a meaningful read for children processing complex emotions.
Why we rated The gone away place 11IE
The gone away place is written at a Level 6 reading level across 295 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The gone away place works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate The gone away place as 11IE ("Intense — 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, 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 gone away place explores family, friendship, memory, tornadoes, and social customs — 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, friendship, memory.
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
11IE — Intense — 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
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
- 9780399556098
- Pages
- 295
- Publisher
- Knopf Books for Young Readers
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction