Secret Language of Sisters
Luanne Rice
Secret Language of Sisters
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Luanne Rice
The text is written at a 7th 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 car flips in a heartbeat, and Roo lies still, trapped inside her own body. She can see and hear everything, but no one knows she’s awake. Meanwhile, Tilly faces a secret that could change everything—can she find a way to reach her sister before it’s too late?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores the aftermath of a tragic car accident that leaves one sister with locked-in syndrome, highlighting themes of family, guilt, and hope. Suitable for readers aged 9-12, the story deals with complex emotional experiences and includes a focus on medical challenges and sibling relationships. Parents should be aware of the sensitive topics of paralysis and trauma, presented in a thoughtful and age-appropriate manner.
Why we rated Secret Language of Sisters 12IE
Secret Language of Sisters is written at a Level 7 reading level across 352 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Secret Language of Sisters works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Secret Language of Sisters as 12IE ("Intense — 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, physical peril, 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, Secret Language of Sisters explores family, sisters, guilt, hope, and medical challenges — 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, sisters, guilt.
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
12IE — Intense — 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
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
- 9780545839556
- Pages
- 352
- Publisher
- Scholastic Inc.
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction