Day That Went Missing
Richard Beard
Day That Went Missing
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Family's Story
by Richard Beard
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
The salty spray of the ocean fills the air as waves crash around two brothers laughing and playing in the surf. Suddenly, something changes — a splash, a silence, a moment frozen in time that will echo for decades. What happens when a family's biggest secret hides beneath the calm surface of a summer holiday?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction explores the profound impact of loss within a family, focusing on a tragic accident during a childhood summer vacation and the decades-long silence that follows. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story deals with themes of grief, denial, and healing in a sensitive and thoughtful manner. Parents should be aware that it touches on the death of a sibling and the psychological aspects of coping with trauma.
Why we rated Day That Went Missing 11IE
Day That Went Missing is written at a Level 6 reading level across 288 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Day That Went Missing works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Day That Went Missing as 11IE ("Intense — 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Death.
Thematically, Day That Went Missing explores family, brothers, grief, psychological aspects, 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 family, brothers, grief.
- ✓ Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11IE — Intense — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780316418461
- Pages
- 288
- Publisher
- Hachette+ORM
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Nonfiction