Watching the roses

Adèle Geras

Watching the roses

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Adèle Geras

Reading Level 4-5 9IE Ages 9-12 Heads Up

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 intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes.

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About This Book

What if a beautiful curse hung over your life like a shadow? Alice was born to be a princess, but a dreadful spell promises she will die at eighteen. When danger strikes on her birthday, can she find a way to change her fate?

Themes

FamiliesEmotional problemsFamilyBlessing and cursingJuvenile fiction

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel is a modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty with serious themes including trauma and emotional struggle. It deals with mature content such as sexual assault, making it appropriate for older middle-grade readers who can handle sensitive topics with parental guidance. Parents should be aware of the heavy emotional content and the presence of violence in the story.

Why we rated Watching the roses 9IE

Watching the roses is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 178 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Watching the roses works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate Watching the roses as 9IE ("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, physical peril, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Sexual Assault, Violence.

Thematically, Watching the roses explores families, emotional problems, family, blessing and cursing, and juvenile fiction — 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.
✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about families, emotional problems, family.

Maybe not for

! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
! Children younger than 9-12 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.
! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.

For Parents

Content Intensity

9IE — Intense — Emotional

Emotional

Intense ←

Physical

Intense

Social

Light

Thematic

Moderate

Heavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.

Content Flags

Sexual Assault Violence

Data confidence: standard

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

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

1/10

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

Emotional Weight

Theme Richness

World Scope

Data Confidence

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Watching the roses

Adèle Geras