What reading level is Broken Crowns?

Broken Crowns by Lauren DeStefano is at a Level 4-5 reading level (Lexile 710L). Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is Broken Crowns appropriate for?

Broken Crowns is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 9ME (Moderate — Emotional).

What genre is Broken Crowns?

Broken Crowns is fiction — Fiction.

Does Broken Crowns have any content warnings?

Broken Crowns has a HootRating of 9ME (Moderate — Emotional). No specific content flags noted. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is Broken Crowns?

Broken Crowns by Lauren DeStefano is 262 pages.

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated July 16, 2026

Broken Crowns

Lauren DeStefano

Broken Crowns

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Lauren DeStefano

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

What would you do if your perfect city was hanging by a thread, high above a war-torn world? Morgan and the others live in a floating city that seems like a dream, but danger lurks both below and within. Can they stop the greedy kings and save their home before it crashes to the ground?

Themes

UtopiasScience & Nature Adventure Friendship Family

Quick Assessment

Broken Crowns is a middle-grade science fiction adventure set in a floating city threatened by external war and internal power struggles. Suitable for ages 9-12, it explores themes of loyalty, courage, and the consequences of greed, with moderate tension and conflict appropriate for this age group.

Why we rated Broken Crowns 9ME

Broken Crowns is written at a Level 4-5 reading level with a Lexile measure of 710L across 262 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Broken Crowns works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate Broken Crowns 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.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.

Thematically, Broken Crowns explores utopias, science & nature, adventure, friendship, and family — 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 utopias, science & nature, adventure.

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.