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A Red Herring Without Mustard A Flavia De Luce Novel

Alan Bradley

Cover of A Red Herring Without Mustard A Flavia De Luce Novel

A Red Herring Without Mustard A Flavia De Luce Novel

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

A Flavia de Luce Novel

by Alan Bradley

Flavia de Luce Mystery

Reading Level 6-7 11ME Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.

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About This Book

In the quiet village of Bishop’s Lacey, clever eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce investigates a chilling attack on a fortune teller, uncovering tangled secrets and mysterious connections to a long-lost child. With sharp wit and fearless curiosity, Flavia navigates a web of suspicion and hidden motives to solve a puzzling crime. Adventure and intrigue await as she follows every lead, no matter how strange or misleading.

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 6-7 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include mild peril, fear & anxiety, mystery. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated A Red Herring Without Mustard A Flavia De Luce Novel 11ME

A Red Herring Without Mustard A Flavia De Luce Novel is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 434 pages (approximately 94,633 words). Strong independent readers around grade 7.2 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, A Red Herring Without Mustard A Flavia De Luce Novel works for readers up to grade 8.2.

Read aloud, A Red Herring Without Mustard A Flavia De Luce Novel runs about 10.5 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate A Red Herring Without Mustard A Flavia De Luce Novel 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, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril, Fear & Anxiety, Mystery.

Thematically, A Red Herring Without Mustard A Flavia De Luce Novel explores mystery, family, coming of age, and adventure — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

  • Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
  • Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
  • Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
  • Kids drawn to stories about mystery, family, 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.

For Parents

Content Intensity

11ME — Moderate — Emotional
Emotional
Moderate
Physical
Moderate
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

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

Content Flags

Mild Peril Fear & Anxiety Mystery
Data confidence: standard

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

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

6/10

Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.

Discussion Potential

4/10

Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
5
Emotional Weight
6
Narrative Pace
5
Theme Richness
7
World Scope
3
Data Confidence
8

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Details

Book Length

434 pages
94,633 words
10h 31m read-aloud
ISBN
9780385343466
Pages
434
Publisher
Bantam
Published
2011
Type
Fiction
Word Count
94,633
Read-Aloud
~10h 31m
Text Density
Standard

Genres

Subjects

MurderGirlsInvestigationFlavia De LuceRomaniesLarge Type BooksEnglandCrimeFortune-tellersWomen Detectives

Places

England