Emily Windsnap and the ship of lost souls

Name: Emily Windsnap and the ship of lost souls
Author: Liz Kessler
ISBN: 9780763690908

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Liz Kessler

Reading Level 6 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), 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

The salty breeze carries whispers of a ghostly ship gliding silently through the misty waves. Emily and Aaron stumble upon this mysterious vessel that no one else can see, pulling them into a world where day and night blur, and life and death intertwine. Can Emily unlock the secrets of Atlantis and save the lost souls before the portal closes forever?

Themes

Fantasy World-Building Adventure Friendship Family

Quick Assessment

A school field trip turns into a fantasy adventure when Emily and her friends uncover a haunted ship caught between life and death, and Emily must travel into Atlantis to try to save its passengers before a portal closes forever. Expect ghostly imagery, peril, and a serious look at death and the afterlife, handled with suspense rather than graphic detail. There is no romance or real-world violence, and the story rewards friendship, courage, and loyalty.

Why we rated Emily Windsnap and the ship of lost souls LE (Mild)

Emily Windsnap and the ship of lost souls is written at a Level 6 reading level across 280 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage Emily Windsnap and the ship of lost souls on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Emily Windsnap and the ship of lost souls 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, Emily Windsnap and the ship of lost souls explores fantasy world-building, adventure, friendship, and family — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about fantasy world-building, adventure, friendship.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

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