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Price Guide to the Occult, The

Leslye Walton

Cover of Price Guide to the Occult, The

Price Guide to the Occult, The

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Leslye Walton

Reading Level 6-7 11ME Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 6th 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

There’s a secret about Anathema Island no one dares to speak of: a curse born from fear and fire. Nor Blackburn just wants a normal life, but when a mysterious book promises spells for a price, everything changes — and that’s only the beginning.

Quick Assessment

This young adult novel blends fantasy and horror in a story about Nor Blackburn, a teenager grappling with her supernatural heritage and a dark family curse. Set in the atmospheric Pacific Northwest, it explores themes of self-acceptance, first love, and the consequences of past actions, appropriate for readers 13 and up due to some mature and suspenseful elements.

Why we rated Price Guide to the Occult, The 11ME

Price Guide to the Occult, The is written at a Level 6-7 reading level. Strong independent readers around grade 7.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Price Guide to the Occult, The works for readers up to grade 8.5.

We rate Price Guide to the Occult, The as 11ME ("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, 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, Price Guide to the Occult, The explores fantasy world-building, coming of age, family, romance, and horror — 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.
  • Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
  • Kids drawn to stories about fantasy world-building, coming of age, family.

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

11ME — Moderate — Emotional
Emotional
Moderate
Physical
Light
Social
Light
Thematic
Moderate

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

1/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

4/10

Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
5
Emotional Weight
6
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

ISBN
9781543687514
Publisher
National Geographic Books
Published
Mar 13, 2018
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

Teen & Young AdultScience Fiction & FantasyHorrorFantasy