The keeper

Name: The keeper
Author: David Baldacci
ISBN: 9780545831949

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by David Baldacci

Reading Level 3-4 MP · Moderate · Physical Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, MP, means moderate content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

Vega Jane and Delph dash through the tangled shadows of the Quag, heart pounding as unseen creatures snap and growl all around them. The map in their hands is their only hope, but the dark magic gripping the swamp tightens with every step. Suddenly, a chilling roar splits the night—what’s coming next could change everything.

Themes

FantasyMagicAdventureEscapesJuvenile fiction

Quick Assessment

Vega Jane and her best friend Delph leave the walled-off town of Wormwood to cross the Quag, a magical wilderness built to keep people in, after discovering that what they were told about the outside world is false. The journey brings fantasy violence from bloodthirsty creatures, sinister magic, and sustained physical danger, with characters facing the possibility of death and a choice about what survival may cost. It suits readers who handle intense fantasy action well, and parents may want to discuss the moral dilemmas the characters face.

Why we rated The keeper MP (Moderate)

The keeper is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 428 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

We rate The keeper as MP (Moderate, mostly physical) because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from physical peril — 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 keeper explores fantasy, magic, adventure, escapes, and juvenile fiction — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about fantasy, magic, adventure.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.

For Parents

Content Intensity

MP · Moderate · Physical

Emotional

Mild

Physical

Moderate ←

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: high

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