The cost of all things
Maggie Lehrman
The cost of all things
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Maggie Lehrman
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: what if you could erase the pain of losing someone you love with just a spell? Ari tries it, hoping to forget her boyfriend Win, but magic has a price—and things start to unravel in ways no one expects. This is just the beginning of a story about friendship, loss, and the secrets we keep.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores themes of grief and the desire to escape pain through magical means. Told through multiple perspectives, it combines mystery and emotional depth as characters confront the consequences of erasing memories. Suitable for ages 9-12, it thoughtfully addresses loss with some complexity but contains no graphic content.
Why we rated The cost of all things 12ME
The cost of all things is written at a Level 8 reading level across 407 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The cost of all things works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate The cost of all things 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 cost of all things explores grief, magic, friendship, mystery, and coming of age — 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 grief, magic, friendship.
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
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780062320742
- Pages
- 407
- Publisher
- Balzer + Bray
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction