Thick As Thieves
Dan Santat
Thick As Thieves
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
a Graphic Novel
by Dan Santat
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
Sirens blare through the Society of Superheroes headquarters! Captain Amazing is supposed to be relaxing, but chaos erupts as a secret flash drive disappears into the wrong hands. Manny, Roscoe, and Fluffy sniff out danger while Shifty faces a mysterious visitor who claims to be his brother—but can he be trusted?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade graphic novel follows a group of superhero sidekicks dealing with a security breach while their mentor, Captain Amazing, is away. Filled with action, humor, and themes of trust and family, it’s appropriate for ages 9-12 and contains mild peril typical of superhero adventures. Parents can expect a fast-paced story emphasizing teamwork and loyalty without any graphic content.
Why we rated Thick As Thieves 11LE
Thick As Thieves is written at a Level 6 reading level across 208 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Thick As Thieves works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Thick As Thieves 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, Thick As Thieves explores friendship, adventure, humor, superheroes, and family — 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 friendship, adventure, humor.
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
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781338879186
- Pages
- 208
- Publisher
- Graphix
- Published
- 2025
- Type
- Fiction