Sign of the dove

Name: Sign of the dove
Author: Susan Fletcher
ISBN: 9781416997146

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Susan Fletcher

Reading Level 4-5 9LE Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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

There’s a secret only Kaeldra knows: dragons are real, and their milk can save lives. When her foster sister falls ill, Kaeldra must find the mother dragon and her newborn draclings before it’s too late—but that's only the beginning.

Themes

FantasyAdventure FriendshipDragons

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fantasy novel follows Kaeldra, a girl who can communicate with dragons, on a daring quest to save her foster sister using the rare milk of a mother dragon. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story includes themes of bravery, friendship, and magical creatures, with mild peril appropriate for this age group.

Why we rated Sign of the dove 9LE

Sign of the dove is written at a Level 4-5 reading level with a Lexile measure of 730L across 213 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Sign of the dove works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate Sign of the dove 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, Sign of the dove explores fantasy, adventure, friendship, and dragons — 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 fantasy, adventure, friendship.