When I cast your shadow
Sarah Porter
When I cast your shadow
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Novel
by Sarah Porter
The text is written at a 7th 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
The cold whisper of the night wraps around Ruby as she feels a presence that isn't quite there. Her brother Dashiell, who she thought was gone forever, visits her in dreams—his voice a shadowy echo that feels both comforting and terrifying. But these dreams hold secrets darker than grief itself, pulling Ruby and her twin brother Everett into a world where the living and the dead collide.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores the heavy themes of grief, loss, and family bonds through the story of Ruby and her twin brother Everett, whose deceased brother Dashiell begins to haunt them in unsettling ways. Appropriate for ages 9-12, the book handles supernatural elements and emotional struggles with sensitivity but contains moments that might be intense for younger or sensitive readers due to themes of death and possession.
Why we rated When I cast your shadow 12IE
When I cast your shadow is written at a Level 7 reading level across 383 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, When I cast your shadow works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate When I cast your shadow as 12IE ("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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the intense intensity score.
Thematically, When I cast your shadow explores family, death, spirits, grief, and sibling relationships — 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 family, death, spirits.
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.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12IE — Intense — EmotionalHeavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.
Was our "Intense" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A 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
- 9780765380562
- Pages
- 383
- Publisher
- Tor Teen
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction