The rise of Lubchenko

Name: The rise of Lubchenko
Author: Michael Simmons
ISBN: 9781595140616

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Michael Simmons

Reading Level 6 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

A Junior Library Guild selection

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. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Here's a secret: Evan's father's business partner might be selling dangerous viruses to terrorists and stopping anyone who tries to expose him. Now Evan and his friends are racing to find the mysterious Lubchenko in France, hoping this spymaster can help them stop a disaster. But that's only the beginning.

Themes

Adventure Friendship FamilyJuvenile FictionBioterrorismCrime

Quick Assessment

Sixteen-year-old Evan Macalister suspects his father's business partner is selling smallpox virus to terrorists and killing anyone who gets in the way, so he travels to France with his friends to stop them. Expect suspense, murder, criminal characters, and a threat of mass harm, though the tone is fast-paced rather than graphic. The story also explores strain between Evan and his father and the pressure of trying to keep his own life on track.

Why we rated The rise of Lubchenko ME (Moderate)

The rise of Lubchenko is written at a Level 6 reading level across 217 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

We rate The rise of Lubchenko 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, physical peril, 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 rise of Lubchenko explores adventure, friendship, family, juvenile fiction, and bioterrorism — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, friendship, family.
✓ Readers (and parents) who care about award-recognized writing — The rise of Lubchenko carries an award.

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 · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Moderate

Social

Mild

Thematic

Moderate

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: standard

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