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The lost wreck of the Isis

Robert D. Ballard

Cover of The lost wreck of the Isis

The lost wreck of the Isis

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Robert D. Ballard

Reading Level 6-7 11C Ages 9-12 Sweet Spot

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 gentle with no concerning themes.

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About This Book

Dive beneath the waves to uncover the secrets of an ancient Roman shipwreck near Sicily, where history and adventure collide. Join the thrilling exploration as a daring team investigates the mysteries resting beside an active underwater volcano. Discover the past through sunken treasures and fascinating underwater archaeology.

Themes

AdventureHistoryScience & NatureUnderwater archaeology

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 6-7 book with gentle content intensity. It's a Sweet Spot read — challenging text with gentle themes, ideal for advanced or 2e readers. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated The lost wreck of the Isis 11C

The lost wreck of the Isis is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 63 pages (approximately 17,113 words). Strong independent readers around grade 7.9 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The lost wreck of the Isis works for readers up to grade 8.9.

Read aloud, The lost wreck of the Isis runs about 1.9 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate The lost wreck of the Isis as 11C ("Clear") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.

Thematically, The lost wreck of the Isis explores adventure, history, science & nature, and underwater archaeology — 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 adventure, history, science & nature.
  • Curious kids who prefer real-world topics over made-up stories.

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

11C — Clear
Emotional
Clear
Physical
Clear
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: standard

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

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

3/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
6
Emotional Weight
2
Narrative Pace
3
Theme Richness
4
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
8

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Details

Book Length

63 pages
17,113 words
1h 54m read-aloud
ISBN
0590438522
Pages
63
Publisher
New York, NY : Scholastic
Published
1990
Type
Nonfiction
Word Count
17,113
Read-Aloud
~1h 54m
Text Density
Dense

Genres

Subjects

ShipwrecksItalySicilyUnderwater ArchaeologyRomansArchaeologyAntiquities, Roman