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The rat prince

Bridget Hodder

Cover of The rat prince

The rat prince

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

A New Twist on Cinderella

by Bridget Hodder

Reading Level 5-6 10C 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.

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About This Book

Discover a clever twist on the classic Cinderella tale where the story unfolds through the eyes of both Cinderella and a rat who transforms into a coachman. This charming and humorous adventure blends magic, mischief, and a touch of romance as unlikely friends work together to change their destinies. Perfect for readers who enjoy fairy tales with a playful new perspective.

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 5-6 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated The rat prince 10C

The rat prince is written at a Level 5-6 reading level with a Lexile measure of 830L across 260 pages (approximately 47,811 words). Strong independent readers around grade 6.9 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The rat prince works for readers up to grade 7.9.

Read aloud, The rat prince runs about 5.3 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate The rat prince as 10C ("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 rat prince explores fantasy world-building, friendship, family, humor, and romance — 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 fantasy world-building, friendship, 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

10C — Clear
Emotional
Clear
Physical
Clear
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

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

Data confidence: high

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
5
Emotional Weight
2
Narrative Pace
5
Theme Richness
5
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
8

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Details

Book Length

260 pages
47,811 words
5h 19m read-aloud
ISBN
9780374302139
Pages
260
Publisher
Macmillan
Published
2016
Type
Fiction
Word Count
47,811
Lexile
830L
Read-Aloud
~5h 19m
Text Density
Standard

Genres

Subjects

RatsPrincesStepfamiliesFairy TalesFairy Tales & FolkloreAdaptationsRoyalty