The ruby airship
Sharon Gosling
The ruby airship
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Sharon Gosling
The text is written at a 8th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Remy clutches the ruby airship pendant as shadows creep closer—footsteps pounding behind her! She thought escaping her past would be easy, but the circus is waiting, and so are the enemies. Will Remy make it back to the show, or is this the end of her daring journey?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows Remy Brunel, a former jewel thief navigating danger as she returns to France and the circus life she left behind. Suitable for ages 9-12, it features themes of adventure, crime, and history with mild peril and suspense. Parents should note the story includes criminal activity and tense moments but remains appropriate for middle-grade readers.
Why we rated The ruby airship 12MP
The ruby airship is written at a Level 8 reading level across 490 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 9.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The ruby airship works for readers up to grade 10.0.
We rate The ruby airship as 12MP ("Moderate — 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, thematic difficulty — 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 ruby airship explores adventure, mystery, historical, crime, and friendship — 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, mystery, historical.
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
12MP — Moderate — PhysicalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781630790042
- Pages
- 490
- Publisher
- Capstone
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction