If You Find This
Matthew Baker
If You Find This
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Matthew Baker
The text is written at a 7th 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
Have you ever believed in a treasure hidden so well, no one could find it? Eleven-year-old Nicholas is on a secret quest to prove his grandfather's incredible stories are true, even as his world feels like it’s falling apart. But with his grandfather’s memories slipping away, can Nicholas solve the mystery before it’s too late?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel blends mystery and adventure as it follows eleven-year-old Nicholas, a math and music prodigy, coping with family challenges including financial hardship and his grandfather's dementia. The story explores themes of friendship, bravery, and the value of memories tied to family. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it presents sensitive topics with warmth and hope, with minimal content concerns.
Why we rated If You Find This 12ME
If You Find This is written at a Level 7 reading level across 332 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, If You Find This works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate If You Find This as 12ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. The strongest signals come from emotional weight — 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 mild intensity score.
Thematically, If You Find This explores friendship, family, adventure, memory, and coping with change — 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, family, adventure.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781336217294
- Pages
- 332
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction