Shattered
Scott Wallens
Shattered
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Scott Wallens
Sevens
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is very intense with mature or graphic material.
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About This Book
Years after a devastating event drove them apart, old connections resurface, forcing them to confront dark secrets and dangerous threats. As they face haunting memories and relentless torment, their courage is tested in a chilling battle for survival. This gripping tale dives deep into fear, pain, and the strength needed to endure.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 4-5 book with very intense content intensity. Note: content intensity (Very Intense) exceeds what the reading level might suggest. Content themes include emotional: fear & anxiety, emotional: bullying, physical/safety: physical danger. Written for readers ages 13+.
Why we rated Shattered 9VE
Shattered is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 201 pages (approximately 50,888 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.9 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Shattered works for readers up to grade 6.9.
Read aloud, Shattered runs about 5.7 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Shattered as 9VE ("Vivid — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Very Intense" range — very intense or graphic content — peril, violence, trauma, or mature themes treated head-on. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Emotional: Fear & Anxiety, Emotional: Bullying, Physical/Safety: Physical Danger, Physical/Safety: Graphic Violence, Physical/Safety: Torture, Physical/Safety: Body Horror, Physical/Safety: Mutilation, Physical/Safety: Shaving/Cutting, Social: Stalking, Social: Gaslighting.
Thematically, Shattered explores friendship, survival, psychological thriller, mystery, and trauma recovery — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, survival, psychological thriller.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 13+ — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
- ! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9VE — Vivid — EmotionalGraphic or sustained depictions of trauma, violence, or mature content.
Content Flags
Was our "Very Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
4/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 0142300985
- Pages
- 201
- Publisher
- Puffin
- Published
- 2002
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 50,888
- Read-Aloud
- ~5h 39m
- Text Density
- Dense