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Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The

E. Lockhart

Cover of Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The

Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by E. Lockhart

Reading Level 5-6 10MN Ages 11+ Matched
A Junior Library Guild selection

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for older middle graders (ages 11+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.

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About This Book

Frankie Landau-Banks starts out as a quiet, bookish girl but soon transforms into a clever and daring mastermind, shaking up her elite boarding school with her secret schemes. With sharp wit and bold plans, she challenges the rules and proves that brains can be just as powerful as charm. Adventure and intrigue await as Frankie navigates friendship, identity, and rebellion in a world full of secrets.

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 5-6 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include gaslighting, stalking, cheating. Written for readers ages 11+.

Why we rated Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The 10MN

Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The is written at a Level 5-6 reading level with a Lexile measure of 890L across 352 pages (approximately 59,635 words). Strong independent readers around grade 6.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The works for readers up to grade 7.5.

Read aloud, Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The runs about 6.6 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The as 10MN ("Moderate — Neutral") 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, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Gaslighting, Stalking, Cheating, Hospital Scene, Blood/Gore.

Thematically, Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The explores coming of age, friendship, social justice, identity & self-discovery, and adventure — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

  • Children in the Ages 11+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
  • Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
  • Kids drawn to stories about coming of age, friendship, social justice.
  • Readers (and parents) who care about award-recognized writing — Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The carries an award.

Maybe not for

  • ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.

For Parents

Content Intensity

10MN — Moderate — Neutral
Emotional
Moderate
Physical
Moderate
Social
Moderate
Thematic
Moderate

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Content Flags

Gaslighting Stalking Cheating Hospital Scene Blood/Gore
Data confidence: high

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

3/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

4/10

Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
5
Emotional Weight
6
Narrative Pace
5
Theme Richness
10
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
8

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Details

Book Length

352 pages
59,635 words
6h 38m read-aloud
ISBN
9780786838189
Pages
352
Publisher
Hyperion
Published
March 25, 2008
Type
Fiction
Word Count
59,635
Lexile
890L
Read-Aloud
~6h 38m
Text Density
Standard

Genres

Subjects

Young Adult Fiction