What reading level is Riese?

Riese by Greg Cox is at a Level 4-5 reading level (Lexile 700L). Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is Riese appropriate for?

Riese is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 9LE (Light — Emotional).

Riese is fiction — Juvenile Fiction.

Does Riese have any content warnings?

Riese has a HootRating of 9LE (Light — Emotional). No specific content flags noted. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is Riese?

Riese by Greg Cox is 281 pages.

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated September 7, 2026

Riese

Greg Cox

Riese

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

Kingdom Falling

by Greg Cox

Reading Level 4-5 9LE Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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 clink of gears and the hiss of steam fill the air as Riese slips away from her royal lessons into a world of adventure. She smells the fresh earth beneath her boots and hears the distant hum of clockwork machines as she meets Micah, a mysterious artist who sees her not as a princess, but as a friend. In a kingdom crumbling under war and shadows, can Riese follow her heart without losing everything she holds dear?

Themes

Good and EvilSelf-RealizationPrincessesArtistsAdventure Fantasy World-Building

Quick Assessment

Riese is a middle-grade steampunk fantasy about a princess torn between royal duty and personal freedom. It explores themes of good versus evil, self-discovery, and the challenges of growing up during times of conflict. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story contains mild peril and complex themes but no intense violence or mature content.

Why we rated Riese 9LE

Riese is written at a Level 4-5 reading level with a Lexile measure of 700L across 281 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Riese works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate Riese 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, Riese explores good and evil, self-realization, princesses, artists, and adventure — 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 good and evil, self-realization, princesses.