A circle of time
Marisa Montes
A circle of time
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Marisa Montes
The text is written at a 6th 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
What would you do if you could travel back in time to fix a terrible mistake? Fourteen-year-old Ana wakes up trapped between two worlds—her own in 1996 and another in 1906, where a mysterious girl needs her help to make things right. Can Ana change the past before it's too late?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows Ana, a 14-year-old girl who falls into a coma in 1996 and finds herself transported back to 1906 to assist a girl seeking to correct past injustices. The story explores themes of family challenges, cultural identity within the Spanish American community, and the power of will. Suitable for ages 9-12, it contains some emotional moments related to illness and family difficulties but is handled thoughtfully.
Why we rated A circle of time 11ME
A circle of time is written at a Level 6 reading level across 261 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, A circle of time works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate A circle of time as 11ME ("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, thematic difficulty — 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, A circle of time explores time travel, family, spanish americans, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about time travel, family, spanish americans.
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
11ME — 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
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 0152026266
- Pages
- 261
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Published
- 2002
- Type
- Fiction