Rica's Summer (Not Just Proms & Parties)
Patricia G. Penny
Rica's Summer (Not Just Proms & Parties)
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Patricia G. Penny
The text is written at a 5th 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
Rica navigates the ups and downs of teenage life, facing challenges in friendships and family while discovering who she truly is. This story captures the emotional twists and social struggles that many teens experience, making it easy to connect with Rica's journey. Filled with realistic characters and situations, it offers a heartfelt look at growing up.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 5-6 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include emotional: identity & self-discovery, emotional: relationship issues, emotional: family change. Written for readers ages 13+.
Why we rated Rica's Summer (Not Just Proms & Parties) 10MN
Rica's Summer (Not Just Proms & Parties) is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 144 pages (approximately 25,230 words). Strong independent readers around grade 6.2 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Rica's Summer (Not Just Proms & Parties) works for readers up to grade 7.2.
Read aloud, Rica's Summer (Not Just Proms & Parties) runs about 2.8 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Rica's Summer (Not Just Proms & Parties) as 10MN ("Moderate — Neutral") 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, physical peril, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Emotional: Identity & Self-Discovery, Emotional: Relationship Issues, Emotional: Family Change.
Thematically, Rica's Summer (Not Just Proms & Parties) explores coming of age, friendship, family, and social issues — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about coming of age, friendship, family.
- ✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there is one more book in the Not Just Proms & Parties series.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
For Parents
Content Intensity
10MN — Moderate — NeutralReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
4/10A 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
- 1897073453
- Pages
- 144
- Publisher
- Lobster Press
- Published
- September 15, 2006
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 25,230
- Read-Aloud
- ~2h 48m
- Text Density
- Standard