The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two
Catherynne M. Valente
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
Fairyland #3
by Catherynne M. Valente
Illustrated by Juan, Ana, illustrator
The text is written at a 6th 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
September is no ordinary girl—she’s the one who dared to cut the moon in two! Now, whisked away to the moon itself, she faces a powerful moon-Yeti threatening Fairyland’s magic. Can she outsmart a creature with mysterious powers and save her friends before it’s too late?
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fantasy follows September as she embarks on a thrilling adventure to save Fairyland from a dangerous moon-Yeti. The story includes themes of friendship and sacrifice, and features some intense moments such as character injury, death, and kidnapping. Suitable for ages 9-12, parents should be aware of these elements alongside fantastical and humorous storytelling.
Why we rated The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two 11ME
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two is written at a Level 6 reading level across 248 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two 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: Animal Sadness, Amputation, Character Death, Kidnapping, Sacrifice.
Thematically, The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two explores friendship, fantasy world-building, adventure, and humor — 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, fantasy world-building, adventure.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! 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
3/10A 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
- 9781250023506
- Pages
- 248
- Publisher
- Macmillan
- Published
- 2013
- Type
- Fiction