The honorary consul.
Graham Greene
The honorary consul.
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Graham Greene
The text is written at a 8th 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
Charley Fortnum is grabbed by rebels in a quiet Argentine town, and chaos erupts around him. Doctor Eduardo Plarr races against time, trying to save Charley while secrets and danger swirl everywhere. But will the rescue plan backfire before it even begins?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This novel explores a dramatic kidnapping set in Argentina, focusing on political corruption and moral challenges. Suitable for readers around ages 9-12 with a Grade 8 reading level, it contains complex themes about authority and justice. Parents should note the presence of political tension and some mature subject matter related to conflict and morality.
Why we rated The honorary consul. 12ME
The honorary consul. is written at a Level 8 reading level across 547 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The honorary consul. works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate The honorary consul. 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, social complexity, 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 honorary consul. explores adventure, political conflict, friendship, and morality — 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 adventure, political conflict, friendship.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
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
2/10A 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
- 0816161828
- Pages
- 547
- Publisher
- G. K. Hall
- Published
- 1974
- Type
- Fiction