Monster Calls
Patrick Ness
Monster Calls
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Inspired by an Idea from Siobhan Dowd
by Patrick Ness
The text is written at a 7th 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
What if a monster came to visit you in the night, but it wasn’t there to scare you? Imagine facing your biggest fears and secrets while a mysterious creature tells stories that change everything. Could a monster be the key to understanding your world?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is a powerful middle-grade novel that explores themes of grief, family, and courage through the lens of a young boy visited by a supernatural monster. Suitable for ages 9-12, it combines fantasy with emotional depth, offering a thoughtful look at coping with difficult changes, including illness and single-parent family dynamics. This special collector's edition also includes exclusive insights into the book’s creation and its film adaptation, making it a rich experience for both readers and parents.
Why we rated Monster Calls 12IE
Monster Calls is written at a Level 7 reading level across 360 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Monster Calls works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Monster Calls as 12IE ("Intense — 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, thematic difficulty — 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, Monster Calls explores monsters, mothers and sons, single-parent families, schools, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about monsters, mothers and sons, single-parent families.
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
12IE — Intense — 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
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781406365771
- Pages
- 360
- Publisher
- Walker Books, Limited
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction