Reading Metrics
Grade Level
Middle Grades (MG 4-8)
Book Level
5.2
Points
8.0
Fiction/Nonfiction
Fiction
Word Count
54974
Points per Word
0.000146
Page Count
180
Points per Page
0.044444
Description
Set in the sixteenth century southern Appalachians, "To Spoil the Sun" follows a Cherokee Indian village as it faces a devastating smallpox epidemic brought by European explorers. The story is told from the perspective of a young Cherokee girl who witnesses her people being struck by what the tribe calls "invisible fire." Forewarned by omens, the village struggles to understand and survive the mysterious disease that destroys their community.