Age rating for books?

[thirdistheonewiththehairychest]

Does anyone know if there is a way of finding out about the appropriateness of specific books for a pre-teen who is ready to move on to meatier stuff but who isn't ready for more adult themes? She's a particular fan of murder-mystery books but I don't really want to have to vet every single book she wants to read!

You could try Accelerated Reader. It gives an interest level (age rating) separately from the book level (which is a measure of the difficulty). You can check for books on arbookfind.co.uk. If the interest level is UY, that’s recommended for age 14+, MY+ is age 12, MY is 8-12.