Cedar B Hartley Flying High
Martine Murray
Cedar B Hartley Flying High
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Flying High
by Martine Murray
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
The rustle of the circus tent fills your ears, mixed with the scent of popcorn and the thrill of the spotlight. Cedar and her friends tumble and laugh, soaring through the air in their own little circus world. But when Kite suddenly leaves for the big leagues, Cedar’s heart feels like it’s falling — yet something new and surprising is about to lift her up higher than ever before.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores themes of friendship, change, and personal growth through the story of Cedar, a young girl passionate about performing arts. When her close friend leaves to join a professional circus, Cedar must navigate feelings of abandonment and discover new connections with refugee children through a community circus class. Appropriate for ages 9-12, the story sensitively addresses themes of loss, resilience, and cultural diversity without intense content.
Why we rated Cedar B Hartley Flying High 11LE
Cedar B Hartley Flying High is written at a Level 6 reading level across 240 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Cedar B Hartley Flying High works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Cedar B Hartley Flying High as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, Cedar B Hartley Flying High explores performing arts, friendship, family, multicultural, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about performing arts, friendship, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780230014305
- Pages
- 240
- Publisher
- MacMillan UK
- Published
- Apr 16, 2007
- Type
- Fiction