Napoleon & Josephine
Gerald Hausman
Napoleon & Josephine
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
The Sword & the Hummingbird
by Gerald Hausman
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 gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
The scent of tropical flowers fills the warm air as young Josephine dreams beneath the bright Caribbean sky. From her island home to the grand palaces of France, her journey is filled with dazzling splendor and fierce ambition. Standing beside the mighty Napoleon, she learns what it truly means to be a queen—and to find her own power.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This historical fiction novel follows Josephine’s journey from her childhood in Martinique to becoming the Empress of the French alongside Napoleon Bonaparte. Geared toward middle-grade readers, it explores themes of ambition, royalty, and personal destiny with accessible language and age-appropriate content. Parents should know it includes historical portrayals of power and relationships but contains no intense or graphic material.
Why we rated Napoleon & Josephine 11LE
Napoleon & Josephine is written at a Level 6 reading level across 281 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Napoleon & Josephine works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Napoleon & Josephine as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") 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, Napoleon & Josephine explores historical, family, coming of age, adventure, and kings, queens, and rulers — 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 historical, family, coming of age.
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
11LE — Light — EmotionalNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A 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
- 0439568900
- Pages
- 281
- Publisher
- Orchard (NY)
- Published
- 2004
- Type
- Fiction