The Circle of Gold

Name: The Circle of Gold
Author: Guillaume Prévost, William Rodarmor
ISBN: 9780439883771

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Guillaume Prévost, William Rodarmor

Reading Level 5-6 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Sam races through swirling mists, heart pounding as the past and future collide around him. His father's life hangs in the balance, and Alicia is nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a shadow looms—will Sam save them before time runs out?

Themes

AdventureFantasy & MagicFriendship Family

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fantasy adventure follows 14-year-old Sam as he travels through time to rescue his father, his friend Alicia, and uncover secrets about his late mother. The story includes themes of bravery, friendship, and family, suitable for readers aged 9-12. There is some mild peril and fantastical action, but no graphic content.

Why we rated The Circle of Gold LE (Mild)

The Circle of Gold is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 288 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage The Circle of Gold on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The Circle of Gold as LE (Mild, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.

Thematically, The Circle of Gold explores adventure, fantasy & magic, friendship, and family — 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 & magic, friendship.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?