Tremor Violet
David Lippincott
Tremor Violet
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by David Lippincott
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
The ground shakes beneath your feet, buildings groan, and the city of Los Angeles is thrown into chaos. You dash through crumbling streets, searching for safety, but the world you knew is disappearing fast. What will you do when everything falls apart?
Quick Assessment
Tremor Violet is a middle-grade novel centered on a major earthquake hitting Los Angeles and the ensuing struggle for survival. Suitable for ages 9-12, it explores themes of disaster and resilience with some intense scenes of danger and social breakdown. Parents should be aware of the depiction of physical peril and the emotional challenges characters face in this dramatic survival story.
Why we rated Tremor Violet 12ME
Tremor Violet is written at a Level 7 reading level across 346 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Tremor Violet works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Tremor Violet 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, 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, Tremor Violet explores survival, adventure, disaster, and family — 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 survival, adventure, disaster.
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
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
- 0399115196
- Pages
- 346
- Publisher
- Putnam
- Published
- 1975
- Type
- Fiction