Tales in Esrever
Penn Brooks
Tales in Esrever
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Sandman, Bring Me a Scream
by Penn Brooks
The text is written at a 4th 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
Alex wakes up in Esrever County, a place where nothing is like home. Rules don’t apply, chocolate and video games are everywhere, and every day feels like a dream. But when the legends from his world start coming to life—and they’re not friendly—everything changes in a heartbeat.
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction follows Alex, a boy who finds himself in Esrever County, a world where normal rules are flipped. While the story combines humor with spooky elements, it explores themes of authority, myths, and facing unexpected dangers. Suitable for ages 9-12, it balances lighthearted fun with mild suspense.
Why we rated Tales in Esrever 9ME
Tales in Esrever is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 125 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Tales in Esrever works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Tales in Esrever as 9ME ("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, Tales in Esrever explores adventure, fantasy world-building, humor, and mystery — 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 adventure, fantasy world-building, humor.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9ME — 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
4/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780991616329
- Pages
- 125
- Publisher
- M4 DESIGN HOUSE LLC
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction