Curious Tides
Pascale Lacelle
Curious Tides
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Pascale Lacelle
The text is written at a 8th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes.
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About This Book
What if the ocean held secrets deeper and darker than anyone imagined? Emory, a young mage, dives into a mystery where classmates vanish and strange powers stir beneath the waves. Can she uncover the truth before the tides pull her under too?
Quick Assessment
Curious Tides is a middle-grade fantasy novel centered on Emory, a teenage mage investigating a secret society linked to the deaths of her classmates. The book includes mature themes such as self-harm, drowning, seizures, and body horror, making it suitable for older middle-grade readers (ages 9-12) who can handle intense and sometimes unsettling content. Parents should be aware of these themes when choosing this book for their child.
Why we rated Curious Tides 12IE
Curious Tides is written at a Level 8 reading level across 544 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Curious Tides works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate Curious Tides as 12IE ("Intense — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Self-Harm, Drowning, Body Horror, Seizure, Vomiting.
Thematically, Curious Tides explores fantasy world-building, mystery, coming of age, and adventure — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about fantasy world-building, mystery, coming of age.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 9-12 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12IE — Intense — EmotionalHeavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Content Flags
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781665939270
- Pages
- 544
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Published
- 2023
- Type
- Fiction