Faces of the dead
Suzanne Weyn
Faces of the dead
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Suzanne Weyn
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Marie-Therese slips out of the palace, heart pounding as the noisy streets of Paris swallow her whole. Shadows move and voices rise—this city is alive with secrets and danger. When an angry mob storms the palace walls, she’s forced to hide, but what waits in the mysterious wax workshop could change everything.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This historical fiction novel follows Marie-Therese, daughter of Marie Antoinette, as she experiences the French Revolution firsthand by sneaking out into the perilous streets of Paris. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story explores themes of friendship, bravery, and the harsh realities of revolution in a way that is accessible to middle-grade readers. The book contains scenes of social unrest and mild peril but is generally appropriate for its target audience.
Why we rated Faces of the dead 11ME
Faces of the dead is written at a Level 6 reading level across 201 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Faces of the dead works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Faces of the dead as 11ME ("Moderate — Emotional") 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, social complexity — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Faces of the dead explores friendship, adventure, history, revolutions, 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, adventure, history.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780545425315
- Pages
- 201
- Publisher
- Scholastic Press
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction