The Quirks

Name: The Quirks
Author: Erin Soderberg
ISBN: 9781599907895

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

welcome to Normal

by Erin Soderberg

Reading Level 5-6 C · Gentle Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

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About This Book

Here’s a secret: Molly’s family isn’t like any other. Each Quirk has a magical power, from mind control to bending time, but Molly? She’s completely ordinary. That’s what she wants—just to be normal—but that’s only the beginning of their new adventure in Normal, Michigan.

Themes

MagicFamilyMovingJuvenile Fiction

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel follows Molly Quirk, a girl whose magical family moves frequently due to their unusual abilities. Molly desires a normal life in a town called Normal, Michigan, but fitting in proves challenging given her family’s quirks. Suitable for ages 9-12, it explores themes of family, identity, and acceptance with light fantasy elements and no notable content concerns.

Why we rated The Quirks C (Gentle)

The Quirks is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 225 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage The Quirks on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The Quirks as C (Gentle) 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 Quirks explores magic, family, moving, and juvenile fiction — 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 magic, family, moving.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Mild

Physical

Gentle

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

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

Data confidence: high

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