This gorgeous game
Donna Freitas
This gorgeous game
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Donna Freitas
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for older middle graders (ages 11+), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes.
We may earn a commission from these links. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores with every purchase.
About This Book
At seventeen, Olivia is over the moon to join a college fiction seminar led by her hero, Father Mark. But when his admiration for her stories turns into something deeper, her excitement fades into a struggle with complicated feelings and difficult choices.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 5-6 book with intense content intensity. Content themes include emotional: identity & self-discovery, emotional: fear & anxiety, social: power imbalance. Written for readers ages 11+.
Why we rated This gorgeous game 10IE
This gorgeous game is written at a Level 5-6 reading level (approximately 49,723 words). Strong independent readers around grade 6.1 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, This gorgeous game works for readers up to grade 7.1.
Read aloud, This gorgeous game runs about 5.5 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate This gorgeous game as 10IE ("Intense — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Emotional: Identity & Self-Discovery, Emotional: Fear & Anxiety, Social: Power Imbalance.
Thematically, This gorgeous game explores coming of age, teacher-student relationships, authorship, and family — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 11+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about coming of age, teacher-student relationships, authorship.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 11+ — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
10IE — Intense — EmotionalHeavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Content Flags
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
Similar Books
Based on content and theme analysis
This gorgeous game
Donna Freitas
This gorgeous game
Donna Freitas
The game
Teresa Toten
The game
Teresa Toten
Head games
Mariah Fredericks
Head games
Mariah Fredericks
Can't Look Away
Donna Cooner
Can't Look Away
Donna Cooner
Such a Good Girl
Amanda K. Morgan
Such a Good Girl
Amanda K. Morgan
Deadly little games
Laurie Faria Stolarz
Deadly little games
Laurie Faria Stolarz
Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780374314729
- Publisher
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Published
- 2010
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 49,723
- Read-Aloud
- ~5h 31m