Heart of Ash
Kim Liggett
Heart of Ash
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Kim Liggett
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
There’s a secret Ash has been hiding—she escaped a scary cult that took her mom away. Now, she’s on a daring hunt for her missing twin brother, with the help of her mysterious immortal friend Dane. But that’s only the beginning.
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade supernatural fiction follows Ash as she escapes a dangerous cult and searches for her missing twin brother with the aid of an immortal companion. The story explores themes of family bonds, bravery, and supernatural elements suitable for ages 9-12. Parents should note the presence of cult-related danger and dark fantasy themes.
Why we rated Heart of Ash 11ME
Heart of Ash is written at a Level 6 reading level across 288 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Heart of Ash works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Heart of Ash 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, physical peril — 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, Heart of Ash explores supernatural, family, adventure, twins, and sibling relationships — 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 supernatural, family, adventure.
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
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
3/10A 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
- 9780399166495
- Pages
- 288
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction