The devil's thief
Lisa Maxwell
The devil's thief
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Lisa Maxwell
Last Magician
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Chasing through time and across the country, Esta and Harte race to recover powerful elemental stones that hold the fate of magic itself. Facing fierce enemies and unexpected allies beyond the city's edge, they must outwit dark forces determined to stop them. As secrets unravel and danger grows, every moment counts in a battle to change the past and protect the future.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 6-7 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include fantasy violence, physical danger, death & grief. Written for readers ages 13+.
Why we rated The devil's thief 11ME
The devil's thief is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 704 pages (approximately 209,138 words). Strong independent readers around grade 7.4 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The devil's thief works for readers up to grade 8.4.
Read aloud, The devil's thief runs about 23.2 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate The devil's thief as 11ME ("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, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Fantasy Violence, Physical Danger, Death & Grief.
Thematically, The devil's thief explores magic, adventure, time travel, friendship, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about magic, adventure, time travel.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.
- ! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
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
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781481494458
- Pages
- 704
- Publisher
- Margaret K. McElderry Books
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 209,138
- Read-Aloud
- ~23h 14m
- Text Density
- Dense