The ghost in the glass house
Carey Wallace
The ghost in the glass house
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Carey Wallace
The text is written at a 6th 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
The salty breeze carries whispers through the old glass house by the sea, where every creak and shimmer hides a secret. Twelve-year-old Clare feels the chill of a ghostly presence—Jack, a boy with no memory of his past, but a heart full of stories. Can Clare help him uncover the truth before the tides wash it all away?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Set in a 1920s New England seaside town, this middle-grade novel follows twelve-year-old Clare as she meets Jack, a ghost who has forgotten how he died. The story explores themes of social class, mother-daughter relationships, and history, wrapped in a gentle supernatural mystery appropriate for ages 9 to 12. There is no graphic content, making it suitable for middle-grade readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of the paranormal.
Why we rated The ghost in the glass house 11LE
The ghost in the glass house is written at a Level 6 reading level across 229 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The ghost in the glass house works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate The ghost in the glass house as 11LE ("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 ghost in the glass house explores aristocracy, mothers and daughters, history, ghosts, and juvenile fiction — 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 aristocracy, mothers and daughters, history.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780544022911
- Pages
- 229
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Published
- 2013
- Type
- Fiction