Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
The great good summer
Elizabeth Garton Scanlon
The great good summer
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Elizabeth Garton Scanlon
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), 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 rumble of the bus engine mixes with the salty breeze as Ivy and Paul set off on a road trip full of secrets and dreams. Ivy’s heart races, wondering if her mom will come back from Florida, while Paul can’t stop thinking about the Space Shuttle he hopes to see before it’s gone forever. Together, they discover that summer can change everything in ways they never expected.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows twelve-year-old Ivy, grappling with her mother’s mysterious disappearance with a preacher, and her classmate Paul, who dreams of seeing the Space Shuttle before its program ends. Their summer bus trip blends themes of family uncertainty, friendship, and hope. The book is appropriate for ages 9-12 and gently explores emotional themes like loss and adventure without intense content.
Why we rated The great good summer LE (Mild)
The great good summer is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 218 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage The great good summer on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.
We rate The great good summer 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, The great good summer explores adventure, friendship, family, bus travel, and christian life — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, friendship, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
LE · Mild · EmotionalReading 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.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781481411479
- Pages
- 218
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction