The lead character is supposed to be 13. I do agree that some phrasing may be a little over the head of some kids, as the target age group is 8-11. The challenge is that this is also a tool to get kids that are not into reading books, to do some actual reading, under the guise of "interactivity/game". As such, we do want to push the vocabulary and phrasing slightly beyond their comprehension at times, but not too much to be completely lost on the readers.
With this particular prototype, the plan is to clean up the dialogue, add a few more puzzles/mini games, sweeten up the UI and then release it to public schools we have relationships with as a beta. Ideally, we would continue the series if the beta period does well. This would be the first of many adventures with the lead character. Each adventure will uncover a new mystery/case that needs to be explored.
This could potentially lead to other types of series and games that get produced. All with the intention of promoting reading/literacy.