Time in the Tide
John Hepburn
Time in the Tide
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by John Hepburn
The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
What if your summer holiday turned into a thrilling adventure on the sea? Four friends exploring Cornwall uncover a secret about a slave ship from the past, but not everyone wants their discovery to come to light. Can they use their sailing skills and bravery to outsmart danger and save the day?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade adventure follows four teenage girls spending summer in Cornwall, where their school project on Victorian history leads to uncovering a local scandal involving a slave ship. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story blends historical mystery with exciting sailing action, highlighting themes of friendship, courage, and perseverance. Parents should note mild peril as the girls face tricky situations while trying to expose the truth.
Why we rated Time in the Tide 9MP
Time in the Tide is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 119 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Time in the Tide works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Time in the Tide as 9MP ("Moderate — Physical") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.
Thematically, Time in the Tide explores adventure, friendship, historical, sailing, and mystery — 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, friendship, historical.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9MP — Moderate — PhysicalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781857769289
- Pages
- 119
- Publisher
- Book Guild Publishing, Limited
- Published
- 2005
- Type
- Fiction