Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
The steep & thorny way
Cat Winters
The steep & thorny way
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Cat Winters
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes. Its HootRating code, IE, means intense content, mostly emotional.
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About This Book
In 1920s rural Oregon, a determined sixteen-year-old girl of mixed heritage bravely seeks answers about her father’s mysterious death. As she unravels dark secrets, she must navigate the dangers posed by the threatening presence of the Ku Klux Klan. Her courage shines through a haunting journey filled with history and resilience.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 5-6 book with intense content intensity. Content themes include racial discrimination, murder, physical danger. Written for readers ages 13+.
Why we rated The steep & thorny way IE (Intense)
The steep & thorny way is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 335 pages (approximately 76,045 words). 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.
Read aloud, The steep & thorny way runs about 8.5 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate The steep & thorny way as IE (Intense, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Racial Discrimination, Murder, Physical Danger, Fear & Anxiety.
Thematically, The steep & thorny way explores historical, racially mixed people, social justice, coming of age, and mystery — 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 13+ 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 historical, racially mixed people, social justice.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 13 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
For Parents
Content Intensity
IE · Intense · 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
Heavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Content Flags
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10Fewer of the usual hooks for reluctant readers, such as a long series, humor or adventure.
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
- 9781419719158
- Pages
- 335
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 76,045
- Read-Aloud
- ~8h 27m
- Text Density
- Standard