Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
The Spiritglass Charade
Colleen Gleason
The Spiritglass Charade
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Colleen Gleason
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.
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About This Book
What if a mysterious spiritglass could control your mind? Seventeen-year-old Willa Aston is caught in a web of secrets, where ghostly messages hide darker dangers. Can Mina Holmes and Evaline Stoker unravel the truth before it’s too late?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This young adult steampunk mystery follows Mina Holmes and Evaline Stoker as they investigate a troubling case involving a spiritglass that manipulates a teenager named Willa. The story includes themes of deception, danger, and supernatural intrigue, with some mild peril and references to crime and vampires. Suitable for teens, it offers a blend of mystery and adventure with thoughtful social elements.
Why we rated The Spiritglass Charade ME (Moderate)
The Spiritglass Charade is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 354 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.
We rate The Spiritglass Charade as ME (Moderate, mostly 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 — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril, Fantasy Violence, Emotional: Fear & Anxiety.
Thematically, The Spiritglass Charade explores mystery, adventure, friendship, romance, and steampunk — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about mystery, adventure, friendship.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.
For Parents
Content Intensity
ME · Moderate · EmotionalReading 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
Real 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
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781452110714
- Pages
- 354
- Publisher
- Chronicle Books
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction