The Home Children
Phyllis Harrison
The Home Children
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Their Personal Stories
by Phyllis Harrison
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
What would you do if you were sent far away from home to live and work on a farm in a new country? Imagine leaving everything familiar behind and facing the unknown challenges of a big, strange place. Could you find hope and friendship in a land so different from your own?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This historical fiction novel explores the experiences of 'home children' sent from Great Britain to Canada to work on farms, highlighting themes of social history and child welfare. Suitable for middle-grade readers, it offers insight into a lesser-known part of children's social history with age-appropriate language and content. Parents should note the story deals with themes of displacement and child labor but in a thoughtful, accessible way.
Why we rated The Home Children 11LE
The Home Children is written at a Level 6 reading level across 271 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Home Children works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate The Home Children as 11LE ("Light — 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 Home Children explores social science, sociology, children's studies, historical, and family — 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 social science, sociology, children's studies.
- ✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" 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
- 0920486029
- Pages
- 271
- Publisher
- Watson & Dwyer Publishing, Limited
- Published
- 1979
- Type
- Nonfiction