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A clear road to Archangel

Geoffrey Rose

Cover of A clear road to Archangel

A clear road to Archangel

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

A Story of 1917

by Geoffrey Rose

Reading Level 4-5 9ME Ages 9-12 Matched

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

Bullets whistle past as the spy dashes through the biting cold snow, heart pounding and breath freezing. Wolves howl nearby, and the shadowy Captain S is closing in after a daring escape. Can he reach the northern port before it's too late?

Themes

Quick Assessment

Set during the Russian Revolution of 1917, this middle-grade thriller follows a young British spy navigating dangerous terrain and hostile forces while trying to reach safety. With themes of suspense and survival, it offers an intense but age-appropriate adventure for readers aged 9-12. Parents should note the presence of peril and tense moments but no graphic violence.

Why we rated A clear road to Archangel 9ME

A clear road to Archangel is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 187 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, A clear road to Archangel works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate A clear road to Archangel as 9ME ("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, physical peril, 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 clear road to Archangel explores mystery, thriller, suspense, adventure, and historical — 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.
  • Kids drawn to stories about mystery, thriller, suspense.

Maybe not for

  • ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.

For Parents

Content Intensity

9ME — Moderate — Emotional
Emotional
Moderate
Physical
Moderate
Social
Light
Thematic
Moderate

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

3/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

3/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
4
Emotional Weight
6
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

187 pages
ISBN
0333145801
Pages
187
Publisher
Macmillan
Published
1973
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense