What-the-Dickens
Gregory Maguire
What-the-Dickens
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy
by Gregory Maguire
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
What if a tiny, mischievous tooth fairy crash-landed right into your stormy night? Imagine meeting What-the-Dickens, a scrappy skibberee who’s just hatched and desperate to find a family. But can he avoid trouble long enough to belong?
Quick Assessment
This imaginative story follows ten-year-old Dinah and her siblings as they hear about What-the-Dickens, a newly hatched tooth fairy seeking acceptance among his kind. The book combines fantasy and humor, exploring themes of family and belonging suitable for ages 13-18. It contains mild peril and whimsical adventure but is appropriate for middle-grade and young adult readers.
Why we rated What-the-Dickens 12LE
What-the-Dickens is written at a Level 7 reading level across 304 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, What-the-Dickens works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate What-the-Dickens as 12LE ("Light — Emotional") because the content sits in the "Mild" range — mild conflict — the kind a child encounters in normal play and sibling life. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly mild; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the mild intensity score.
Thematically, What-the-Dickens explores family, humor, and fantasy world-building — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, humor, fantasy world-building.
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.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" 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
- 9780763629618
- Pages
- 304
- Publisher
- Candlewick Press
- Published
- September 11, 2007
- Type
- Fiction