The Bourlotas fortune
Nicholas Gage
The Bourlotas fortune
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Novel
by Nicholas Gage
The text is written at a 8th 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
Here’s a secret: the Bourlotas family once ruled the seas with their mighty ships and endless fortune. But when everything falls apart, the last son wants nothing to do with money—he dreams of a quiet life as a monk. Yet fate has other plans, and that's only the beginning.
Quick Assessment
This novel follows the dramatic rise and fall of the Bourlotas family fortune, set against the backdrop of Greek shipping history. It explores themes of family loyalty, ambition, and unexpected tragedy, including illness. Suitable for middle-grade readers, it contains mature themes like disease and family sacrifice but no graphic content.
Why we rated The Bourlotas fortune 12ME
The Bourlotas fortune is written at a Level 8 reading level across 453 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Bourlotas fortune works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate The Bourlotas fortune 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, thematic difficulty — 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, The Bourlotas fortune explores family, historical, adventure, and coming of age — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers. Each of these themes is concrete enough to seed a real conversation, not just a moral lesson.
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 family, historical, adventure.
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
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
5/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 0030150965
- Pages
- 453
- Publisher
- Holt, Rinehart and Winston
- Published
- 1975
- Type
- Fiction