Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
Emerald green
Kerstin Gier
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.
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About This Book
What if you suddenly discovered you could travel through time, but everyone around you seemed to have secrets? Imagine being the last piece of a magical puzzle called the Circle of Twelve, where trust is as tricky as the mysteries you must solve. Gwen's journey to uncover the truth might change everything—if she can survive the dangers ahead.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Gwen learns she is the Ruby, the last member of a secret time-traveling society, and must figure out who she can trust while uncovering the group's hidden plans. The story has fantasy peril, a sense of deception and betrayal, and a slow-building romance with no explicit content. It suits readers who enjoy time-travel intrigue and are comfortable with teen romance and suspense.
Why we rated Emerald green LE (Mild)
Emerald green is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 451 pages. 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.
We rate Emerald green as LE (Mild, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, Emerald green explores family, love & romance, fantasy & magic, coming of age, 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, love & romance, fantasy & magic.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
LE · Mild · EmotionalReading 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
Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780805092677
- Pages
- 451
- Publisher
- Macmillan
- Published
- 2013
- Type
- Fiction