Six of Crows

Name: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo
ISBN: 9781536439427

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Leigh Bardugo

Reading Level 8 VE · Very Intense · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at an 8th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is very intense with mature or graphic material. Its HootRating code, VE, means very intense content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Here’s a secret: Kaz Brekker is the smartest and sneakiest kid in Ketterdam, a city where danger lurks around every corner. He’s planning the biggest heist anyone has ever heard of—but the crew he gathers is full of mysterious and powerful kids, each with their own secrets. And this is just the beginning.

Challenged Book

About & Banning Context

Ages 13+

In 'Six of Crows', readers are introduced to Kaz Brekker and his diverse team, including Jesper, Inej, Wylan, and the conflicted duo of Nina and Matthias. Set in the vibrant city of Ketterdam, known for its trade and moral ambiguity, Kaz, a skilled criminal, is presented with a high-stakes opportunity to execute a heist that promises immense wealth. However, he requires the unique talents of his crew to succeed. Each member brings their own troubled pasts and motivations, including a convict seeking vengeance, a sharpshooter with a gambling addiction, a runaway from privilege, a stealthy spy, and a magical healer struggling to survive. Together, they must navigate their differences and the dangers of their mission, which could either save their world or lead to their downfall.

Key Themes

crime revenge friendship betrayal survival identity

Awards & Accolades (5)

● Amazon.com Best Books of the Year (2015) (2015)
● Los Angeles Times Best Books of the Year (2015) (2015)
● YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (Commended, 2016) (2016)
● Georgia Peach Award Winner
● Sakura Medal in the High School English category

Reviewed By

★ Publishers Weekly ★ Kirkus Reviews ★ The Horn Book ★ VOYA ★ The New York Times

Source: Unite Against Book Bans — Six of Crows

Themes

Fantasy World-Building Adventure Friendship Coming of AgeCrime and Outlaws

Quick Assessment

Kaz Brekker, a gifted young criminal in the trading city of Ketterdam, is offered a deadly heist and must assemble a crew of six outcasts he can barely trust. Parents should know the story deals with child abuse, abusive parents, child abandonment, drug use and addiction, and brief mentions of rape and pedophilia, alongside violence and the death of an animal. These themes are handled with real weight, so it suits older teen readers who can talk through hard subjects with a parent.

Why we rated Six of Crows VE (Very Intense)

Six of Crows is written at a Level 8 reading level across 512 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

We rate Six of Crows as VE (Very Intense, mostly 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, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Child Abuse, Abandonment, Drug Use, Addiction, Sexual Violence Mention.

Thematically, Six of Crows explores fantasy world-building, adventure, friendship, coming of age, and crime and outlaws — 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 fantasy world-building, adventure, friendship.

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

VE · Very Intense · Emotional

Emotional

Very Intense ←

Physical

Moderate

Social

Very Intense

Thematic

Intense

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Graphic or sustained depictions of trauma, violence, or mature content.