The Forgotten Book
Mechthild Gläser
The Forgotten Book
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Mechthild Gläser
The text is written at a 7th 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
What if you found a magical book that could make anything you write come true? Emma thought she had it all figured out until she stumbled upon a forgotten library and discovered this mysterious book. But when someone else wants the book just as badly, can Emma keep its power safe?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction follows Emma, a confident boarding school student who discovers a magical book that brings her written words to life. As she navigates newfound power and emerging threats, themes of friendship, trust, and consequence are explored. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story contains mild suspense and some tense moments but is appropriate for its target audience.
Why we rated The Forgotten Book 12ME
The Forgotten Book is written at a Level 7 reading level across 328 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Forgotten Book works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate The Forgotten Book 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 Forgotten Book explores friendship, adventure, fantasy world-building, 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, adventure, fantasy world-building.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
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
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
- 9781250146793
- Pages
- 328
- Publisher
- Feiwel & Friends
- Published
- January 2, 2018
- Type
- Fiction