Shadow moon
Marilee Brothers
Shadow moon
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Marilee Brothers
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
Here’s a secret: Allie Emerson isn’t just an ordinary girl—she’s part faery, a twin, and caught in a destiny that could change everything. Strange signs and mysterious whispers push her on a dangerous journey to find a hidden truth, but that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Shadow Moon follows Allie Emerson, a young girl grappling with her newfound faery heritage and a destiny that pulls her into an otherworldly conflict. Suitable for ages 9-12, this middle-grade fantasy explores themes of identity, family bonds, and courage, with mild peril and supernatural elements. Parents should know it contains fantasy violence and emotional challenges typical for this age group.
Why we rated Shadow moon 11ME
Shadow moon is written at a Level 6 reading level across 223 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Shadow moon works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Shadow moon 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, physical peril — 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, Shadow moon explores psychic ability, teenage girls, witches, psychics, 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about psychic ability, teenage girls, witches.
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
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
2/10A 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
- 9781611940589
- Pages
- 223
- Publisher
- BelleBooks
- Published
- 2011
- Type
- Fiction