Dangerous waters
Gregory Mone
Dangerous waters
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
An Adventure on the Titanic
by Gregory Mone
The text is written at a 6th 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: a mysterious stolen book hides a clue to endless treasure aboard the Titanic. Patrick Waters, only twelve and working as a steward, doesn’t know just how dangerous this voyage will become—but that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Set aboard the Titanic, this middle-grade adventure follows Patrick Waters, a young steward who becomes entangled in a high-stakes mystery involving a stolen rare book and a dangerous villain. The story offers suspense and excitement suitable for ages 9 to 12, with themes of bravery, social classes, and adventure. Parents should note the presence of peril and tension tied to the ship's impending disaster.
Why we rated Dangerous waters 11ME
Dangerous waters is written at a Level 6 reading level across 223 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Dangerous waters works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Dangerous waters as 11ME ("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, 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, Dangerous waters explores adventure, friendship, social classes, juvenile fiction, and books and reading — 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 adventure, friendship, social classes.
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
11ME — 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
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781250016713
- Pages
- 223
- Publisher
- Square Fish
- Published
- 2013
- Type
- Fiction