Dreamer, wisher, liar
Charise Mericle Harper
Dreamer, wisher, liar
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Charise Mericle Harper
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
Here’s a secret: a magical jar hidden in a dusty basement can send you back in time. Ash thought this summer would be the worst, with her best friend moving away and a strange new girl arriving. But when Claire shows up with her bright smile and thrift-store outfits, everything begins to change—and that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Dreamer, Wisher, Liar tells the story of Ash, a girl facing change as her best friend moves away and a mysterious young girl comes to stay. The novel gently explores themes of friendship, family, and self-discovery through a magical wish jar that links past and present friendships. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it offers relatable middle-grade content with light fantasy elements and no concerning material.
Why we rated Dreamer, wisher, liar 12LE
Dreamer, wisher, liar is written at a Level 7 reading level across 348 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Dreamer, wisher, liar works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Dreamer, wisher, liar as 12LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.
Thematically, Dreamer, wisher, liar explores friendship, family, magic, coming of age, and juvenile fiction — 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 friendship, family, magic.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12LE — Light — EmotionalNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A 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
- 9780062026750
- Pages
- 348
- Publisher
- Balzer + Bray
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction