The Secrets of Lily Graves
Sarah Strohmeyer
The Secrets of Lily Graves
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Sarah Strohmeyer
The text is written at a 6th 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
What if the perfect girl in town suddenly dies, and everyone seems to be hiding secrets? Lily Graves, who comes from a family of morticians, must uncover the truth before someone else gets hurt. But when she starts to have feelings for a suspect, can she trust anyone at all?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel combines mystery and romance as Lily Graves investigates the suspicious death of her classmate in a small town. Suitable for ages 9-12, it explores themes of secrets, trust, and young love with some emotional complexity but no graphic content. Parents should be aware of its focus on murder and interpersonal drama, presented in a way accessible to middle-grade readers.
Why we rated The Secrets of Lily Graves 11ME
The Secrets of Lily Graves is written at a Level 6 reading level across 298 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The Secrets of Lily Graves works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate The Secrets of Lily Graves as 11ME ("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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Murder, Romantic Content.
Thematically, The Secrets of Lily Graves explores mystery, romance, secrets, coming of age, 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about mystery, romance, secrets.
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
11ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
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
- 9780062259608
- Pages
- 298
- Publisher
- Balzer + Bray
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction