Broken
A. E. Rought
Broken
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by A. E. Rought
The text is written at a 7th 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 if the person who feels most familiar to you is hiding a dark secret? Emma wanders through a foggy town, haunted by the loss of her boyfriend, Daniel. When she meets Alex, someone who seems just like Daniel, she can't help but wonder—who is he really?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Broken is a middle-grade novel exploring themes of grief and healing following the mysterious death of a young boy. Set in a small Michigan town, the story delves into emotional loss, emerging relationships, and subtle suspense appropriate for readers ages 9-12. Parents should note the book deals with death and emotional trauma but handles these themes with sensitivity.
Why we rated Broken 12ME
Broken is written at a Level 7 reading level across 348 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Broken works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Broken as 12ME ("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 — 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, Broken explores death, man-woman relationships, juvenile fiction, coming of age, and mystery — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about death, man-woman relationships, juvenile fiction.
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
12ME — 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
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781908844316
- Pages
- 348
- Publisher
- Strange Chemistry
- Published
- 2013
- Type
- Fiction