The girl from Felony Bay

Name: The girl from Felony Bay
Author: John Thompson
ISBN: 9780062104465

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by John Thompson

Reading Level 6-7 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

What if the biggest mystery hiding in your backyard was connected to your family's secrets? Abbey's dad has been in a coma, and someone framed him for a crime he didn't commit. Now, with new neighbors digging up the past by Felony Bay, Abbey has to uncover the truth before it's too late.

Themes

Mystery Family Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel follows Abbey Force as she navigates a challenging year marked by her father's coma and a family secret tied to a historical mystery. Set in South Carolina, the story blends themes of family, justice, and friendship with light humor and suspense, suitable for readers aged 9-12. It handles complex topics like wrongful accusation and family hardship with sensitivity, with no graphic content.

Why we rated The girl from Felony Bay LE (Mild)

The girl from Felony Bay is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 375 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 8 and up can manage The girl from Felony Bay on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The girl from Felony Bay as LE (Mild, mostly 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 girl from Felony Bay explores mystery, family, 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 mystery, family, coming of age.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?