Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
The land of forgotten girls
Erin Entrada Kelly
The land of forgotten girls
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Erin Entrada Kelly
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. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.
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About This Book
What would you do if your family changed forever and you had to protect your little sister all alone? Soledad and Ming have just that challenge after moving far from the Philippines to Louisiana. But when Ming starts to believe their magical aunt will save them, Sol faces a choice that could change everything.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This touching novel follows two Filipino-American sisters dealing with loss, abandonment, and an unkind stepmother after relocating to Louisiana. It explores themes of family, resilience, and imagination, appropriate for early readers aged 5-8. Parents should note the story includes family hardship and emotional challenges but is ultimately hopeful and heartwarming.
Why we rated The land of forgotten girls ME (Moderate)
The land of forgotten girls is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 299 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 5 and up can manage The land of forgotten girls on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.
We rate The land of forgotten girls as ME (Moderate, mostly 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 — 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 land of forgotten girls explores multicultural, family, sisters, immigrants, and coming of age — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about multicultural, family, sisters.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
For Parents
Content Intensity
ME · Moderate · 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
Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780062238658
- Pages
- 299
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction