Solitaire
Alice Oseman
Solitaire
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Alice Oseman
The text is written at a 7th 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
What if your world suddenly changed, and the friends you once counted on disappeared? Imagine facing the challenges of school, exams, and growing up all while mysterious games and new people shake everything you thought you knew. How do you hold on to yourself when everything feels like it’s falling apart?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Solitaire by Alice Oseman explores the complexities of adolescence, focusing on themes of friendship, identity, and the pressures of school life. Suitable for middle-grade readers, it realistically portrays the challenges of growing up, including social anxiety and emotional struggles, in a way that is accessible and thoughtful. Parents should note that the book deals with sensitive emotional content but without graphic detail.
Why we rated Solitaire 12ME
Solitaire is written at a Level 7 reading level across 357 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Solitaire works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Solitaire as 12ME ("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 — 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, Solitaire explores coming of age, friendship, family, social anxiety, and schools — 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 coming of age, friendship, family.
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
12ME — 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
1/10A 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
- 9780062335685
- Pages
- 357
- Publisher
- HarperTeen
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction