Trouble

Name: Trouble
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
ISBN: 9780618927661

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Gary D. Schmidt

Reading Level 5-6 IE · Intense · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

A Junior Library Guild selection

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes. Its HootRating code, IE, means intense content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

At fourteen, Henry is determined to fulfill his late brother Franklin's final wish by trekking up Maine's Mount Katahdin alongside his loyal dog and best friend. Yet, an unexpected traveler joins their journey—the Cambodian refugee blamed for Franklin's death—uncovering hidden struggles and truths beneath the surface. Together, they face challenges that test their courage and understanding.

Themes

Family Friendship Adventure Coming of Age Social Justice Survival

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 5-6 book with intense content intensity. Content themes include physical danger, realistic violence, bullying. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated Trouble IE (Intense)

Trouble is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 304 pages (approximately 79,230 words). Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

Read aloud, Trouble runs about 8.8 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Trouble as IE (Intense, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Physical Danger, Realistic Violence, Bullying, Substance Use, Fear & Anxiety, Emotional: Loss & Grief.

Thematically, Trouble explores family, friendship, adventure, coming of age, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Patient readers who enjoy denser, slower-paced text.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, friendship, adventure.
✓ Readers (and parents) who care about award-recognized writing — Trouble carries an award.

Maybe not for

! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
! Children younger than 13 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.
! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.
! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the text is dense and the pacing rewards patience.

For Parents

Content Intensity

IE · Intense · Emotional

Emotional

Intense ←

Physical

Intense

Social

Intense

Thematic

Gentle

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

Heavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.