Totem
Jennifer Maruno
Totem
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Jennifer Maruno
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
Jonny Joe is not like anyone else at Redemption Residential School — and that makes his story unforgettable. When he and his friend Ernie escape and find a mysterious cave, everything changes: they wake up in a Native village from long ago. What will happen when the past and present collide?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows 14-year-old Jonny Joe, a white orphan attending a school primarily for Native students. After attempting to escape, Jonny and his friend experience a time-travel adventure that leads them to a historic Native village. The story explores themes of identity, cultural understanding, and adolescence, appropriate for readers aged 9 to 12.
Why we rated Totem 9LE
Totem is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 168 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Totem works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Totem as 9LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, Totem explores orphans, adolescence, runaways, friendship, and cultural understanding — 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 orphans, adolescence, runaways.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781459719347
- Pages
- 168
- Publisher
- Dundurn
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction