City of halves

Name: City of halves
Author: Lucy Inglis
ISBN: 9780545829588

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Lucy Inglis

Reading Level 3 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

What if the magical creatures from old legends started roaming your city’s streets? Imagine a world where ancient myths and modern technology collide, and only a brave girl and a mysterious guardian can stop a terrible danger. Can Lily and Regan solve the mystery before the city is torn apart?

Themes

MagicAdventureParanormal fictionFriendship Mystery

Quick Assessment

Sixteen-year-old Lily is attacked by a mythical two-headed dog and rescued by Regan, a guardian who protects modern London from ancient creatures while girls go missing across the city. Expect fantasy violence, monster attacks, and a sense of looming danger, along with teen romantic tension that stays fairly light. It suits older teen readers who enjoy urban fantasy and mysteries.

Why we rated City of halves ME (Moderate)

City of halves is written at a Level 3 reading level across 357 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

We rate City of halves as ME (Moderate, mostly 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, City of halves explores magic, adventure, paranormal fiction, friendship, 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 magic, adventure, paranormal fiction.

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

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Moderate

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

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

Data confidence: high

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