Clearing Weather

Name: Clearing Weather
Author: Cornelia Meigs
ISBN: 9780486817422

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Cornelia Meigs

Reading Level 7 12LE Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

Newbery Honor

The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores with every purchase.

About This Book

What if you had to save your family’s shipbuilding business all on your own? Imagine Nicholas Drury, a young dreamer in early America, building his very own ship to brave the open seas. But will his journey bring the adventure and riches he hopes for, or something far more challenging?

Themes

Adventure Family HistoricalShipsComing of Age

Quick Assessment

Clearing Weather follows Nicholas Drury, a young boy tasked with rescuing his uncle's struggling shipbuilding business in post-Revolution New England. Intended for ages 9-12, this historical adventure explores themes of determination, responsibility, and the challenges of early American life. Parents should note the story includes themes of risk and adventure but contains no intense content.

Why we rated Clearing Weather 12LE

Clearing Weather is written at a Level 7 reading level across 320 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Clearing Weather works for readers up to grade 9.0.

We rate Clearing Weather as 12LE ("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, Clearing Weather explores adventure, family, historical, ships, 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 adventure, family, historical.
✓ Readers (and parents) who care about award-recognized writing — Clearing Weather carries an award.

Maybe not for

! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.