There's more than one way home
Donna Levin
There's more than one way home
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
a novel
by Donna Levin
The text is written at a 7th 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.
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About This Book
I’m going to tell you a secret about a mom named Anna, who seems to have everything but hides a big worry about her son Jack. Jack is different in ways some don’t understand, and one small mistake turns their world upside down. But that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores the challenges faced by a mother raising an autistic son, set against a dramatic storyline involving a tragic accident and its aftermath. It thoughtfully addresses themes of family loyalty, misunderstanding, and the complexities of parenting a neurodivergent child. Recommended for readers aged 9-12, it contains some intense emotional moments and situations requiring parental guidance.
Why we rated There's more than one way home 12ME
There's more than one way home is written at a Level 7 reading level across 320 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, There's more than one way home works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate There's more than one way home as 12ME ("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, social complexity — 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, There's more than one way home explores disability representation, family, emotional complexity, and parenting challenges — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about disability representation, family, emotional complexity.
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
12ME — 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
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780991327461
- Pages
- 320
- Publisher
- Chickadee Prince Books
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction