Secret of Four Notch
Tracy Sabin
Secret of Four Notch
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Tracy Sabin
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
What if your perfect summer suddenly vanished, and you had to start over in a strange, rainy town with no friends? Imagine meeting a mysterious new kid and discovering a secret place where time plays tricks. But when you get stuck in the past, can you find your way back and learn how to handle big changes?
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows Danny, a boy uprooted from sunny California to a remote town in Washington, as he navigates friendship, change, and self-discovery. The story explores themes of adapting to new environments and coping with unexpected challenges through an imaginative adventure involving time travel. Suitable for ages 9-12, it presents emotional growth with light elements of fantasy and mild peril.
Why we rated Secret of Four Notch 9LE
Secret of Four Notch is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 165 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Secret of Four Notch works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Secret of Four Notch 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, Secret of Four Notch explores friendship, coming of age, adventure, and fantasy world-building — 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 friendship, coming of age, adventure.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781951668174
- Pages
- 165
- Publisher
- Thar She Blows Books
- Published
- 2022
- Type
- Fiction