Playing house.
Fredrica Wagman
Playing house.
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Fredrica Wagman
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 very intense with mature or graphic material.
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About This Book
What happens when a secret from the past keeps echoing in your mind? Imagine trying to live a normal life while facing feelings that are confusing and scary. Can one person find hope in the hardest places?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Playing House is a literary novel exploring the deeply emotional and complex aftermath of childhood trauma, specifically involving incest. Intended for mature middle-grade readers (ages 9-12), this book addresses heavy themes of mental health and emotional struggle with sensitivity but contains content that may be disturbing or inappropriate for younger children. Parents should consider the challenging subject matter before sharing this with their child.
Why we rated Playing house. 9VE
Playing house. is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 165 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Playing house. works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Playing house. as 9VE ("Vivid — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Very Intense" range — very intense or graphic content — peril, violence, trauma, or mature themes treated head-on. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Child Sexual Abuse, Mental Health Struggles.
Thematically, Playing house. explores mental health, family, and identity & self-discovery — 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 mental health, family, identity & self-discovery.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 9-12 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9VE — Vivid — EmotionalGraphic or sustained depictions of trauma, violence, or mature content.
Content Flags
Was our "Very Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 003007746X
- Pages
- 165
- Publisher
- Holt, Rinehart and Winston
- Published
- 1973
- Type
- Fiction