The secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea

Name: The secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea
Author: Eileen Beha
ISBN: 9781442498402

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

The Story of Annaliese Easterling & Throckmorton, Her Simply Remarkable Sock Monkey

by Eileen Beha

Illustrated by Sarah Jane Wright

Reading Level 4-5 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

The sock monkey clutches a crumpled photo, heart pounding as the waves crash around Eastcliff-by-the-Sea. He’s darting through the bustling market, determined to find the one person his owner misses most. But someone is following him—who could it be?

Themes

Family AdventureSeparation (Psychology)Friendship

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction follows the journey of an abandoned sock monkey on a heartfelt quest to help his owner reconnect with her mother. Suitable for ages 9-12, it explores themes of separation and emotional resilience in a gentle, accessible way. Parents should note the story sensitively handles feelings of loss and longing without graphic content.

Why we rated The secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea LE (Mild)

The secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 280 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage The secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea as LE (Mild, mostly 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 secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea explores family, adventure, separation (psychology), 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 family, adventure, separation (psychology).

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

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