Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The

Name: Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The
Author: E. Lockhart
ISBN: 9780786838189

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by E. Lockhart

Reading Level 5-6 M · Moderate Ages 13+ Matched

A Junior Library Guild selection

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, M, means moderate content.

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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.

Themes

Coming of Age Friendship Social Justice Identity & Self-Discovery Adventure

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 5-6 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include gaslighting, stalking, cheating. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The M (Moderate)

Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 352 pages (approximately 59,635 words). Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

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 M (Moderate) 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 13+ 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

M · Moderate

Emotional

Moderate

Physical

Moderate

Social

Moderate

Thematic

Moderate

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

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