Wanted!
Caroline B. Cooney
Wanted!
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Caroline B. Cooney
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is very intense with mature or graphic material.
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About This Book
After her father’s murder and a shocking email confession pointing to her guilt, Alice must escape danger and uncover the truth to clear her name. Facing betrayal and dark secrets, she races against time to prove her innocence and survive the threats closing in around her.
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 5-6 book with very intense content intensity. Note: content intensity (Very Intense) exceeds what the reading level might suggest. Content themes include physical danger, torture, illness & injury. Written for readers ages 13+.
Why we rated Wanted! 10VE
Wanted! is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 240 pages (approximately 41,452 words). Strong independent readers around grade 6.2 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Wanted! works for readers up to grade 7.2.
Read aloud, Wanted! runs about 4.6 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Wanted! as 10VE ("Vivid — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Very Intense" range — very intense or graphic content — peril, violence, trauma, or mature themes treated head-on. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Physical Danger, Torture, Illness & Injury, Emotional: Fear & Anxiety, Emotional: Gaslighting, Animals are Abused, Death & Grief.
Thematically, Wanted! explores mystery, survival, family, and social justice — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about mystery, survival, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
- ! Children younger than 13+ — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
- ! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.
For Parents
Content Intensity
10VE — Vivid — EmotionalGraphic or sustained depictions of trauma, violence, or mature content.
Content Flags
Was our "Very Intense" 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
- 0590988492
- Pages
- 240
- Publisher
- Point
- Published
- July 1, 1997
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 41,452
- Read-Aloud
- ~4h 36m
- Text Density
- Standard