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Little Lion (The Treasure Chest #2)

Ann Hood

Cover of Little Lion (The Treasure Chest #2)

Little Lion (The Treasure Chest #2)

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Ann Hood

Treasure Chest (Grosset&Dunlap)

Reading Level 4-5 9C Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.

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About This Book

When twins Felix and Maisie find a mysterious old coin, they're whisked away to the island of St. Croix in 1772. There, they encounter a young Alexander Hamilton just before his big move to New York, sparking an unforgettable adventure through history.

Themes

TwinsBrothers and sistersHistoryAdventureChildhood and youth

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 4-5 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated Little Lion (The Treasure Chest #2) 9C

Little Lion (The Treasure Chest #2) is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 185 pages (approximately 33,470 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.6 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Little Lion (The Treasure Chest #2) works for readers up to grade 6.6.

Read aloud, Little Lion (The Treasure Chest #2) runs about 3.7 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Little Lion (The Treasure Chest #2) as 9C ("Clear") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.

Thematically, Little Lion (The Treasure Chest #2) explores twins, brothers and sisters, history, adventure, and childhood and youth — 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.
  • Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
  • Kids drawn to stories about twins, brothers and sisters, history.

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.

For Parents

Content Intensity

9C — Clear
Emotional
Clear
Physical
Clear
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: standard

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

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

5/10

Engaging read with solid pacing and interesting themes.

Discussion Potential

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
4
Emotional Weight
2
Narrative Pace
5
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
9
Data Confidence
8

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Details

Book Length

185 pages
33,470 words
3h 43m read-aloud
ISBN
9780448454689
Pages
185
Publisher
Penguin
Published
2011
Type
Fiction
Word Count
33,470
Read-Aloud
~3h 43m
Text Density
Standard

Genres

Subjects

TwinsBrothers and SistersMansionsChildhood and YouthSpace and TimeAdventure FictionSiblingsNew YorkUnited States Virgin Islands

People

Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804)

Places

Virgin Islands of the United StatesNew York (N.Y.)