The savage kingdom
Simon David Eden
The savage kingdom
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Simon David Eden
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Drue races through the tangled forest, heart pounding, as shadows flicker and creatures stir all around. Her cat Will-C has vanished, but this is no ordinary disappearance—it's the spark that ignites a fierce battle between animals and humans. Suddenly, ancient secrets unravel, and Drue faces a choice that could change everything.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This young adult novel follows Drue, a girl whose missing cat becomes the catalyst for a global conflict between humans and animals. The story explores themes of loyalty, courage, and environmental balance, featuring elements of fantasy such as shape-shifters and a looming war. Suitable for readers aged 13 to 18, it includes moments of tension and adventure but remains appropriate for its target audience.
Why we rated The savage kingdom 12ME
The savage kingdom is written at a Level 7 reading level across 385 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The savage kingdom works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate The savage kingdom as 12ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, 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 savage kingdom explores adventure, fantasy world-building, friendship, coming of age, and environmental awareness — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about adventure, fantasy world-building, friendship.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal 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
2/10A 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
- 9781471118746
- Pages
- 385
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction