Making ripples
Katrina Abbott
Making ripples
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Katrina Abbott
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Brooklyn Prescott’s life took a wild turn when she had to leave everything behind because of a dangerous threat. Now trapped in London with no friends and under watch, she starts writing stories about a mysterious man outside her window. But when fiction and reality blur, she finds herself caught in something bigger—and riskier—than she ever imagined.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Making Ripples follows Brooklyn Prescott, a teenage girl forced into hiding in London due to a terrorist threat linked to her father’s work. The story explores themes of safety, identity, and trust as Brooklyn navigates isolation, media scrutiny, and complex relationships. Suitable for teens 13 and up, it includes mature themes like terrorism and emotional conflict but handles them with sensitivity within a young adult fiction context.
Why we rated Making ripples 9ME
Making ripples is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 185 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Making ripples works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Making ripples as 9ME ("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, Making ripples explores young adult fiction, teenage girls, terrorism, family, and friendship — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about young adult fiction, teenage girls, terrorism.
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
9ME — 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
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
- 9781508445845
- Pages
- 185
- Publisher
- CreateSpace
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction