The secret explodes
Tom Clancy
The secret explodes
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Tom Clancy
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 mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
There’s a secret hidden beneath the city—mummies have come back to life and are roaming the streets of London. The Hunter's League believes one man, Creighdor, might be behind this terrifying mystery. But that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction novel follows a group called the Hunter’s League as they confront a mysterious threat of reawakened mummies in London. Suitable for readers aged 9-12, the story explores themes of mystery and revenge with some suspenseful moments. Parents should know the book contains mild fantasy peril and some dark thematic elements related to villainy.
Why we rated The secret explodes 11LE
The secret explodes is written at a Level 6 reading level across 232 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The secret explodes works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate The secret explodes as 11LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, The secret explodes explores adventure, mystery, fantasy world-building, and revenge — 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, fantasy world-building.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780689866340
- Pages
- 232
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Published
- 2005
- Type
- Fiction