The thief and the sword

Name: The thief and the sword
Author: Mike Maihack
ISBN: 9780545528443

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Mike Maihack

Reading Level 3-4 LP · Mild · Physical Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 3rd 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, LP, means mild content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

Cleopatra isn’t just a queen—she’s a time-traveling hero destined to save the entire galaxy! When a magical tablet whisks her far into the future, she faces an evil tyrant that only she can stop. The fate of countless worlds depends on her courage and cleverness.

Themes

AdventureTime TravelHistorical Fantasy World-Building

Quick Assessment

Young Cleopatra finds a mysterious tablet that sends her to the far future, where an ancient prophecy says she must defeat the tyrant Xaius Octavian. Expect comic-style action, mild peril, and fantasy conflict against an oppressive ruler, with no graphic content. It suits children who enjoy time-travel adventures and graphic-novel formats.

Why we rated The thief and the sword LP (Mild)

The thief and the sword is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 167 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 4 and up can manage The thief and the sword on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The thief and the sword as LP (Mild, mostly physical) 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 thief and the sword explores adventure, time travel, historical, and fantasy world-building — 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, time travel, historical.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

LP · Mild · Physical

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Mild ←

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?