Stay a spell
Nicholas O. Time
Stay a spell
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Nicholas O. Time
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 gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
Time travel isn't just for scientists and superheroes — sometimes, it's as simple as opening the right book! When three middle schoolers discover a magical library book, they’re whisked away to 1977, a world full of new challenges and unexpected adventures. What they learn there changes everything about the way they see their own lives.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Stay a Spell is a middle-grade fiction book about three friends who travel back to 1977 through a magical library book. It explores themes of friendship, history, and self-discovery in a school setting, making it appropriate for readers aged 9 to 12. The story contains no intense content, focusing instead on adventure and learning through time travel.
Why we rated Stay a spell 9C
Stay a spell is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 155 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Stay a spell works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Stay a spell as 9C ("Clear") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.
Thematically, Stay a spell explores friendship, adventure, historical, schools, and books and reading — 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 friendship, adventure, historical.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9C — ClearNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A 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
- 9781481467261
- Pages
- 155
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction