Tulsa Burning

Name: Tulsa Burning
Author: Anna Myers
ISBN: 9781937054670

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Anna Myers

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched Rich Discussion

The text is written at a 4th 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

The air smells like smoke and fear, and the distant crackle of flames fills the night. Just after turning fifteen, everything changed — a friend was lost, another was barely saved, and a secret almost tore them all apart. What does it mean to hate, to want revenge, and to lose the innocence of childhood?

Themes

Friendship Historical Coming of Age Family

Quick Assessment

Set during a turbulent period, this middle-grade historical fiction explores themes of friendship, loss, and the harsh realities of growing up amidst conflict. Suitable for ages 9-12, it sensitively handles heavy emotions such as grief and anger while encouraging reflection on difficult social issues. Parents should be aware that the story involves historical violence and emotional challenges.

Why we rated Tulsa Burning ME (Moderate)

Tulsa Burning is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 147 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage Tulsa Burning on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Tulsa Burning 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, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Loss & Grief, Fear & Anxiety, Physical Danger, War & Conflict.

Thematically, Tulsa Burning explores friendship, historical, coming of age, and family — 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 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Family book clubs, classroom read-alouds, and parents who want a strong conversation hook.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, historical, coming of age.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Intense ←

Physical

Moderate

Social

Moderate

Thematic

Moderate

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.