To stay alive

Name: To stay alive
Author: Skila Brown
ISBN: 9780763678111

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

Mary Ann Graves and the Tragic Journey of the Donner Party

by Skila Brown

Reading Level 5-6 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 5th 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

What if you were trapped in the freezing mountains with your family, and every step could mean life or death? Imagine facing hunger, cold, and fear as you fight to stay alive on a dangerous journey west. Could you find hope when everything seems lost?

Themes

Historical Survival FamilyJuvenile FictionNovels in Verse

Quick Assessment

This novel-in-verse tells the harrowing story of a young girl’s experience as a member of the Donner Party during their ill-fated 1846 journey to the Pacific. It explores themes of survival, hardship, and resilience amid extreme cold and starvation, suitable for readers ages 9-12 who can handle mature historical content. Parents should be aware of the serious nature of the historical events depicted, including death and suffering.

Why we rated To stay alive ME (Moderate)

To stay alive is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 275 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage To stay alive on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate To stay alive 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, To stay alive explores historical, survival, family, juvenile fiction, and novels in verse — 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.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about historical, survival, family.

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

Gentle

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?