The International Kissing Club
Ivy Adams
The International Kissing Club
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Ivy Adams
The text is written at a 7th 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
Four best friends make a bold promise to explore the world beyond their small town. They start a secret Facebook club to share their adventures and crushes from faraway places. But when flirty fun turns into real feelings, everything they knew about friendship and love is put to the test.
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows four lifelong friends as they navigate their first experiences with travel, romance, and growing up. It thoughtfully explores themes of friendship, identity, and the challenges of change through their participation in a foreign exchange program and an anonymous social media club. Suitable for ages 9-12, it includes discussions of young dating and online interactions, with no explicit content.
Why we rated The International Kissing Club 12LE
The International Kissing Club is written at a Level 7 reading level across 390 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The International Kissing Club works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate The International Kissing Club as 12LE ("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 International Kissing Club explores friendship, coming of age, family, humor, and adventure — 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 ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, coming of age, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780802723581
- Pages
- 390
- Publisher
- Walker Childrens
- Published
- 2012
- Type
- Fiction