Soldier

Name: Soldier
Author: Julie Kagawa
ISBN: 9780373211609

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Julie Kagawa

Reading Level 5-6 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 5th 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. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

I have a secret to tell you: Ember Hill is caught between two worlds—she could become a fierce assassin for the dragons or live forever hunted as an outcast. She's joined forces with rebel dragons, but her twin brother and an old enemy are caught in this dangerous game too. And that's only the beginning.

Themes

AssassinsFamily Fantasy World-Building Adventure Friendship

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fantasy novel follows Ember Hill, a girl torn between loyalty to a dragon assassin group and her own survival. Themes include family bonds, identity struggles, and secret organizations. Suitable for readers aged 9-12, it contains fantasy violence and suspense but no explicit content.

Why we rated Soldier ME (Moderate)

Soldier is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 380 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage Soldier on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Soldier as ME (Moderate, mostly 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Fantasy Violence, Mild Peril.

Thematically, Soldier explores assassins, family, fantasy world-building, adventure, and friendship — 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about assassins, family, fantasy world-building.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Moderate

Social

Mild

Thematic

Moderate

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.