The Pennsylvania colony

Name: The Pennsylvania colony
Author: Jean Kinney Williams
ISBN: 1567666841

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Jean Kinney Williams

Spirit of America; Our Thirteen Colonies

Reading Level 6-7 C · Gentle Ages 9-12 Sweet Spot Page-Turner

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 gentle with no concerning themes. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

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About This Book

Discover the fascinating journey of Pennsylvania from its beginnings as a colony founded by William Penn to its growth into a proud state by 1787. Explore the challenges and triumphs that shaped this important part of American history through engaging storytelling perfect for young readers.

Themes

Historical Coming of Age Family Adventure

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 6-7 book with gentle content intensity. It's a Sweet Spot read — challenging text with gentle themes, ideal for advanced or 2e readers. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated The Pennsylvania colony C (Gentle)

The Pennsylvania colony is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 40 pages (approximately 4,274 words). Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage The Pennsylvania colony on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

Read aloud, The Pennsylvania colony takes about 28 minutes, which fits within a single read-aloud session.

We rate The Pennsylvania colony as C (Gentle) because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.

Thematically, The Pennsylvania colony explores historical, coming of age, family, and adventure — 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.
✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about historical, coming of age, family.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 3 more books in the Spirit of America; Our Thirteen Colonies series.
✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Gentle

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Gentle

Reading 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

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?