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Beach house

Robert Lawrence Stine

Cover of Beach house

Beach house

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Robert Lawrence Stine

Reading Level 4-5 9ME Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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

A group of teens' beach getaway turns into a terrifying fight for survival when a mysterious killer begins to hunt them down. As fear takes hold, they must uncover the truth before it's too late. Shadows lurk beneath the waves, and no one is safe from the chilling danger.

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 4-5 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include mild peril, fear & anxiety, illness & injury. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated Beach house 9ME

Beach house is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 210 pages (approximately 37,857 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.1 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Beach house works for readers up to grade 6.1.

Read aloud, Beach house runs about 4.2 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Beach house 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril, Fear & Anxiety, Illness & Injury, Dissociation & Depersonalization.

Thematically, Beach house explores friendship, survival, and mystery — 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.
  • Kids drawn to stories about friendship, survival, mystery.

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
Clear
Thematic
Clear

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

Content Flags

Mild Peril Fear & Anxiety Illness & Injury Dissociation & Depersonalization
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
3
Emotional Weight
6
Narrative Pace
5
Theme Richness
7
World Scope
3
Data Confidence
8

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Details

Book Length

210 pages
37,857 words
4h 12m read-aloud
ISBN
0590453866
Pages
210
Publisher
Scholastic Paperbacks
Published
1992
Type
Fiction
Word Count
37,857
Read-Aloud
~4h 12m
Text Density
Standard

Genres

Subjects

BeachSummerHorrorBeachesMurderSerial MurderersHorror StoriesSeashore