The sabotage

Name: The sabotage
Author: Jeff Probst
ISBN: 9780147513892

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Jeff Probst

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), 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

Carter’s heart pounds as the jungle around him buzzes with danger. Vanessa calls out, but there’s no answer—someone is missing in the wild shadows of the island. With every step, the tension rises: who’s gone, and will they make it back?

Themes

Survival FamilyStepfamiliesBlended FamiliesAdventure

Quick Assessment

The Sabotage is the second book in the Stranded: Shadow Island trilogy, continuing the adventurous survival story of a group of kids trapped on a remote island. Suitable for ages 9-12, it explores themes of family, courage, and resilience in life-threatening situations, with some suspenseful moments and mild peril. Parents should note that the story involves survival challenges and a missing character, which may evoke tension but is handled appropriately for middle-grade readers.

Why we rated The sabotage ME (Moderate)

The sabotage is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 189 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage The sabotage on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The sabotage 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 — 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 sabotage explores survival, family, stepfamilies, blended families, 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about survival, family, stepfamilies.

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

Mild

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: high

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