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Treasure in ghost town

Barbara Turner

Cover of Treasure in ghost town

Treasure in ghost town

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Barbara Turner

Reading Level 4-5 9C 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 gentle with no concerning themes.

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About This Book

Here's a secret: buried deep inside a dusty, forgotten house in Cripple Creek, there’s a treasure waiting to be found. Tom and Tammy stumble upon it by accident, but that’s only the beginning of their summer adventure.

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade fiction follows siblings Tom and Tammy during a summer in Cripple Creek, Colorado, where they discover a hidden treasure inside an abandoned house. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story explores themes of family and adventure with light suspense and mystery in a safe setting.

Why we rated Treasure in ghost town 9C

Treasure in ghost town is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 126 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Treasure in ghost town works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate Treasure in ghost town as 9C ("Clear") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.

Thematically, Treasure in ghost town explores adventure, family, mystery, and historical — 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, family, mystery.

Maybe not for

  • ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.

For Parents

Content Intensity

9C — Clear
Emotional
Clear
Physical
Clear
Social
Clear
Thematic
Clear

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

3/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

2/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
4
Emotional Weight
2
Theme Richness
4
World Scope
3
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

126 pages
ISBN
1555175406
Pages
126
Publisher
Cedar Fort
Published
2001
Type
Fiction

Genres

Subjects

Ghost TownsDwellingsBuried TreasureBrothers and SistersCripple CreekColoradoSiblings

Places

Cripple Creek (Colo.)