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A nasty piece of work and other ghost stories

Lance Salway

Cover of A nasty piece of work and other ghost stories

A nasty piece of work and other ghost stories

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Lance Salway

Reading Level 4-5 9LE Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th 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

Martin freezes as a shadow flickers just beyond the grocery store aisle. A whisper floats through the air, but no one else seems to hear it. Suddenly, the lights flicker—and something unseen is getting closer.

Themes

Ghost storiesChildren's storiesShort storiesAdventure

Quick Assessment

This collection of seven ghost stories by Lance Salway offers spooky tales suitable for middle-grade readers, particularly those around ages 9-12. The stories explore supernatural themes in everyday settings without graphic content, making it a fun, age-appropriate introduction to ghostly fiction. Parents should note the mild suspense and eerie moments typical of ghost stories, but nothing overly frightening or intense.

Why we rated A nasty piece of work and other ghost stories 9LE

A nasty piece of work and other ghost stories is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 128 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, A nasty piece of work and other ghost stories works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate A nasty piece of work and other ghost stories as 9LE ("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, A nasty piece of work and other ghost stories explores ghost stories, children's stories, short stories, and adventure — 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 ghost stories, children's stories, short stories.

Maybe not for

  • ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.

For Parents

Content Intensity

9LE — Light — Emotional
Emotional
Light
Physical
Clear
Social
Clear
Thematic
Light

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: standard

Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?

Reading Insights

Hook Factor

2/10

A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.

Discussion Potential

1/10

A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.

Book DNA

Multi-dimensional content fingerprint

Vocabulary Level
4
Emotional Weight
4
Theme Richness
4
World Scope
1
Data Confidence
7

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Details

Book Length

128 pages
ISBN
0899193609
Pages
128
Publisher
Clarion Books
Published
1985
Type
Fiction

Subjects

Ghost Stories, EnglishChildren's Stories, EnglishGhostsShort StoriesEnglish Ghost StoriesGhost Stories