The golden specific

Name: The golden specific
Author: S. E. Grove
ISBN: 9780670785032

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by S. E. Grove

Mapmakers

Reading Level 6-7 LP · Mild · Physical 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, LP, means mild content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

At thirteen, Sophia and her friend Theo embark on a daring quest to uncover the fate of her missing explorer parents in a world reshaped by mysterious shifting borders. Their journey leads them through strange lands filled with secrets and challenges as they follow clues that could reunite their family. Adventure and friendship guide them through the unknown in this gripping tale of discovery.

Themes

Friendship Adventure FamilyFantasyMystery

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 6-7 book with mild content intensity. Content themes include mild peril, missing persons. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated The golden specific LP (Mild)

The golden specific is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 501 pages (approximately 120,418 words). Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage The golden specific on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

Read aloud, The golden specific runs about 13.4 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate The golden specific as LP (Mild, mostly physical) 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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril, Missing Persons.

Thematically, The golden specific explores friendship, adventure, family, fantasy, and mystery — 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.
✓ Readers who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, adventure, family.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

LP · Mild · Physical

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Mild ←

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Gentle

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.