Plce Like This
Steven Herrick
Plce Like This
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Steven Herrick
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 mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
The warm hum of an old car engine fills the air as Jack and Annabel speed away from everything they know. The smell of fresh petrol mixes with the open-road breeze, carrying them toward a place full of surprises and new dreams. What will they find when they leave home behind?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This verse novel follows Jack and Annabel, two young adults who leave their hometown after high school to explore life and themselves. The story touches on themes of family, friendship, and unexpected challenges, including pregnancy, making it suitable for middle-grade readers aged 9-12. The book offers a thoughtful look at growing up and the pursuit of dreams with gentle emotional depth.
Why we rated Plce Like This 9LE
Plce Like This is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 123 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Plce Like This works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Plce Like This as 9LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, Plce Like This explores family, friendship, coming of age, and pregnancy — 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 family, friendship, coming of age.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" 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
- 9780702258961
- Pages
- 123
- Publisher
- Univ. of Queensland Press
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction