Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
Con Academy
Joe Schreiber
Con Academy
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Joe Schreiber
The text is written at a 5th 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
What would you do if your place at the most elite school depended on outsmarting the smartest scammer around? Will Shea and Andrea Dufresne face off in a high-stakes game of tricks and schemes at Connaughton Academy. Who will win the ultimate con, and who will be sent away forever?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction follows Will Shea and Andrea Dufresne, two young con artists competing for their spots at an exclusive preparatory school. The story explores themes of cleverness, trust, and the consequences of deception in a school setting. Suitable for readers ages 9-12, it contains mild scheming and trickery without graphic content.
Why we rated Con Academy 10LE
Con Academy is written at a Level 5-6 reading level with a Lexile measure of 810L across 236 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 6.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Con Academy works for readers up to grade 7.5.
We rate Con Academy as 10LE ("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, Con Academy explores schools, swindlers and swindling, conduct of life, preparatory schools, and fiction — 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 schools, swindlers and swindling, conduct of life.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
10LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780544320208
- Pages
- 236
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction
- Lexile
- 810L