Tom Finder
Martine Leavitt
Tom Finder
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Martine Leavitt
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.
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About This Book
Tom races through the dark city streets, heart pounding, as he dodges shadows and strangers. He’s searching for a missing teenager, but every step brings him closer to a secret about himself. Just when he thinks he’s found a clue, everything changes—what will Tom do next?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This young adult novel follows fifteen-year-old Tom, a runaway navigating life on the streets while searching for a missing boy connected to a First Nations family. The story explores themes of identity, survival, and self-discovery, with some mature social issues appropriate for teens ages 13 and up. Parents should be aware of its focus on homelessness, missing children, and emotional challenges.
Why we rated Tom Finder 11IE
Tom Finder is written at a Level 6 reading level across 220 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Tom Finder works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Tom Finder as 11IE ("Intense — 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Missing Child, Homelessness, Identity Struggles.
Thematically, Tom Finder explores identity & self-discovery, friendship, social issues, coming of age, and adventure — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about identity & self-discovery, friendship, social issues.
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
11IE — Intense — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A 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
- 9780889952621
- Pages
- 220
- Publisher
- Calgary : Red Deer Press
- Published
- April 21, 2003
- Type
- Fiction