The Clue in the Corn Maze

Name: The Clue in the Corn Maze
Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner
ISBN: 0807555576

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Boxcar Children

Reading Level 3-4 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 5-8 Matched Page-Turner

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for younger children (ages 5–8), 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

When a corn maze at a bustling Iowa farm starts getting damaged after dark, a group of young siblings steps in to uncover who is behind the mischief. Their adventure leads them through twists and turns as they work to protect the beloved Corn King Days festival. Join them as they solve clues and bring the community together!

Themes

FarmsBrothers and sistersMystery Adventure

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 3-4 book with mild content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 5-8.

Why we rated The Clue in the Corn Maze LE (Mild)

The Clue in the Corn Maze is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 126 pages (approximately 17,508 words). Reading-wise, most kids in grade 5 and up can manage The Clue in the Corn Maze on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

Read aloud, The Clue in the Corn Maze runs about 2 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate The Clue in the Corn Maze 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 Clue in the Corn Maze explores farms, brothers and sisters, mystery, and adventure — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 5-8 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about farms, brothers and sisters, mystery.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 150 more books in the Boxcar Children series.

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

Gentle

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?