The disappearing magician
Kate Egan
The disappearing magician
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Kate Egan
Illustrated by Wight, Eric, 1974- illustrator
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
What if you were all set to wow the crowd with your magic tricks, but your best helper suddenly couldn’t face the spotlight? Mike has to figure out how to pull off his big act without Nora, who’s too scared to go on stage. Can he make the magic happen or will the show disappear before it even begins?
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction follows Mike, a young magician preparing for his school talent show while navigating his assistant Nora’s stage fright. It’s an accessible story for ages 9-12 that explores themes of friendship, courage, and overcoming anxiety in a lighthearted way. The book contains no concerning content and is suitable for children developing social and emotional skills.
Why we rated The disappearing magician 9LE
The disappearing magician is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 150 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The disappearing magician works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate The disappearing magician as 9LE ("Light — 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 disappearing magician explores friendship, coming of age, family, humor, and adventure — 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 friendship, coming of age, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A 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
- 9781250029171
- Pages
- 150
- Publisher
- Macmillan
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction