The Lastling
Philip Gross
The Lastling
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Philip Gross
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
The cold wind bites as Paris and her uncle trudge through the snowy Himalayas. Suddenly, a mysterious young monk named Tahr appears, his eyes filled with secrets and fear. But when they find a strange creature that looks almost human, everything changes—will they protect her or face a dangerous choice?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This adventure novel follows Paris on a Himalayan trek where she uncovers her uncle's dark secret: he and his friends hunt rare animals for gourmet meals. When they encounter a nearly human creature resembling a yeti, Paris and a young monk named Tahr must decide whether to protect her. Suitable for teens, the story explores themes of morality, loyalty, and courage with some suspenseful moments.
Why we rated The Lastling 11ME
The Lastling is written at a Level 6 reading level across 240 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Lastling works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate The Lastling as 11ME ("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, 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 Lastling explores adventure, fantasy, animal stories, and friendship — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, fantasy, animal stories.
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
11ME — 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
- 9780192753830
- Pages
- 240
- Publisher
- OUP Oxford
- Published
- January 6, 2005
- Type
- Fiction