Wild crush
Simone Elkeles
Wild crush
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
a wild cards novel
by Simone Elkeles
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
Here’s a secret: Vic has always followed the Guy Code—never date your best friend's girl. But when Monika needs him the most, everything changes, and nothing is what it seems. And that’s only the beginning.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Wild Crush follows Vic, a young boy trying to honor his friendship rules when unexpected circumstances bring him closer to his best friend's girlfriend, Monika. A middle-grade fiction book suitable for ages 9-12, it explores themes of friendship, secrets, and young relationships with sensitivity and age-appropriate content.
Why we rated Wild crush 11LE
Wild crush is written at a Level 6 reading level across 288 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Wild crush works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Wild crush as 11LE ("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, Wild crush explores friendship, secrets, coming of age, and man-woman 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 friendship, secrets, coming of age.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" 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
- 9781620511985
- Pages
- 288
- Publisher
- Nla Digital LLC
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction