What reading level is Tulsa Burning?

Tulsa Burning by Anna Myers is at a Level 4-5 reading level. Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is Tulsa Burning appropriate for?

Tulsa Burning is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 9IE (Intense — Emotional). Content flags: Loss & Grief, Fear & Anxiety, Physical Danger, War & Conflict.

What genre is Tulsa Burning?

Tulsa Burning is fiction — Juvenile Fiction.

Does Tulsa Burning have any content warnings?

Tulsa Burning has a HootRating of 9IE (Intense — Emotional). Content flags include: Loss & Grief, Fear & Anxiety, Physical Danger, War & Conflict. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is Tulsa Burning?

Tulsa Burning by Anna Myers is 147 pages.

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated July 16, 2026

Tulsa Burning

Anna Myers

Tulsa Burning

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Anna Myers

Reading Level 4-5 9IE 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.

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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 9IE

Tulsa Burning is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 147 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Tulsa Burning works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate Tulsa Burning as 9IE ("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, 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.
✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
✓ 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.
! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.