Curses and smoke
Vicky Alvear Shecter
Curses and smoke
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
a novel of Pompeii
by Vicky Alvear Shecter
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Here’s a secret: Tag is not just a healer—he dreams of fighting as a gladiator to win his freedom. Lucia loves exploring the strange changes around Pompeii, but her father has other plans for her. Their love and hopes might be crushed by a looming disaster, but that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade historical fiction novel follows Tag, a medical slave yearning for freedom, and Lucia, the daughter of his owner, as they navigate life in Pompeii before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Themes include love, slavery, and natural disaster, with some tense moments involving imprisonment and danger. Suitable for ages 9-12, it introduces complex historical and emotional topics with sensitivity.
Why we rated Curses and smoke 12ME
Curses and smoke is written at a Level 7 reading level across 327 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Curses and smoke works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Curses and smoke as 12ME ("Moderate — 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, social complexity — 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, Curses and smoke explores love, slavery, historical, adventure, and natural disaster — 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 love, slavery, historical.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780545509930
- Pages
- 327
- Publisher
- Scholastic Inc.
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction