Robot City
Michael Davidson
Robot City
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Byron Preiss Robot Mystery
by Michael Davidson
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
The buzzing hum of machines fills the air as Derec wakes up with no memory in a city where robots roam freely. Strange metal footsteps echo down endless corridors, and a mysterious girl named Katherine won’t reveal the secrets she knows. Danger lurks everywhere—especially when a dead body is found—and every step could be a step closer to the truth or to trouble.
Quick Assessment
Robot City is a middle-grade science fiction adventure featuring a young man with amnesia and a mysterious girl navigating a city dominated by robots. The story explores themes of identity, trust, and survival as they uncover a murder mystery within the constraints of the robotic laws. Suitable for readers aged 9 to 12, the book contains mild suspense and complex themes appropriate for middle-grade readers.
Why we rated Robot City 11ME
Robot City is written at a Level 6 reading level across 216 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Robot City works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Robot City 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, Robot City explores adventure, mystery, science & nature, friendship, and coming of age — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, mystery, science & nature.
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
11ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A 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
- 9781408320259
- Pages
- 216
- Publisher
- iBooks
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction