What reading level is Through the Skylight?

Through the Skylight by Ian Baucom is at a Level 4-5 reading level (Lexile 700L). Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is Through the Skylight appropriate for?

Through the Skylight is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 9LE (Light — Emotional).

What genre is Through the Skylight?

Through the Skylight is fiction — Juvenile Fiction.

Does Through the Skylight have any content warnings?

Through the Skylight has a HootRating of 9LE (Light — Emotional). No specific content flags noted. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is Through the Skylight?

Through the Skylight by Ian Baucom is 400 pages.

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated June 9, 2026

Through the Skylight

Ian Baucom

Through the Skylight

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

A Venice Tale

by Ian Baucom

Reading Level 4-5 9LE Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.

Buy on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links. Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores with every purchase.

About This Book

Here’s a secret: three siblings discover that magical objects and animals can slip right out of paintings in their Venice home. An ancient Arabian Nights book holds the key to this mystery, but that’s only the beginning.

Themes

MagicMystery Family AdventureFiction

Quick Assessment

Set in Venice, this middle-grade fiction follows three American siblings as they unravel a magical mystery involving enchanted objects and creatures from paintings. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story blends fantasy and adventure with themes of family and curiosity, without intense content.

Why we rated Through the Skylight 9LE

Through the Skylight is written at a Level 4-5 reading level with a Lexile measure of 700L across 400 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Through the Skylight works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate Through the Skylight as 9LE ("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, Through the Skylight explores magic, mystery, family, adventure, and fiction — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.