What is lost
Lauren Skidmore
What is lost
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Lauren Skidmore
The text is written at a 6th 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
There’s a secret no one knows — a red-cloaked assassin holds the key to finding Joch’s stolen love. But the journey is tangled with secrets, betrayal, and danger lurking in every shadow. And that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fantasy follows Joch, a mask-maker, who teams up with a mysterious assassin to recover his lost love. The story explores themes of deception, loyalty, and courage, with some darker elements including betrayal and death. It is suitable for readers ages 9-12 who enjoy suspenseful and emotionally rich adventures.
Why we rated What is lost 11ME
What is lost is written at a Level 6 reading level across 217 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, What is lost works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate What is lost as 11ME ("Moderate — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Betrayal, Death.
Thematically, What is lost explores deception, love, masks, kings and queens, and adventure — 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 deception, love, masks.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781462116218
- Pages
- 217
- Publisher
- Sweetwater Books
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction