Hope
Beth Bracken
Hope
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Beth Bracken
Illustrated by Sawyer, Odessa, illustrator
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.
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About This Book
What if a magical land was your best friend's home, but visiting it made her very sick? Imagine Soli must race against time in Faerieground to save Lucy and protect her kingdom. Can friendship and bravery beat a powerful spell before it's too late?
Quick Assessment
Hope weaves together four stories into one seamless tale about friendship, magic, and difficult choices. Suitable for ages 9-12, this middle-grade fantasy explores themes of loyalty and sacrifice against a backdrop of fairies and princesses. The story contains mild peril as characters face a magical illness and the challenge of balancing personal bonds with royal duties.
Why we rated Hope 11LE
Hope is written at a Level 6 reading level across 266 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Hope works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Hope as 11LE ("Light — 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, Hope explores fantasy world-building, friendship, magic, coming of age, 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about fantasy world-building, friendship, magic.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A 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
- 9781623700102
- Pages
- 266
- Publisher
- Capstone
- Published
- 2013
- Type
- Fiction