A wounded name

Name: A wounded name
Author: Dot Hutchison
ISBN: 9781467708876

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Dot Hutchison

Reading Level 7-8 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

I have a secret: Ophelia can see ghosts, even when she takes her pills. At Elsinore Academy, that's a dangerous gift, especially now that the Headmaster has died and his restless spirits haunt the halls. But seeing ghosts is only the beginning of Ophelia's story—there's a promise she must keep, and choices that could change everything.

Themes

Ghost storiesEmotional problemsSchool storiesRevengeFriendship Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

Ophelia Castellan, a student at an elite boarding academy, can see ghosts and fae, which sets her apart in a school that values conformity. After the Headmaster dies suddenly, she becomes close to his grieving son, Dane, whose emotional decline puts the whole school at risk, and the story deals with grief, a promise to a dead mother, and a tragic ending. Parents should expect supernatural horror, heavy themes of loss and mental health, and a dark, emotionally intense tone that suits older teens.

Why we rated A wounded name ME (Moderate)

A wounded name is written at a Level 7-8 reading level across 314 pages. Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

We rate A wounded name as ME (Moderate, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Moderate" range — moderate conflict that may involve loss, scary scenes, or interpersonal stakes. 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 moderate intensity score.

Thematically, A wounded name explores ghost stories, emotional problems, school stories, revenge, and friendship — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about ghost stories, emotional problems, school stories.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Moderate

Reading the HootRating code: the first letter is the content intensity (C = Gentle · L = Mild · M = Moderate · I = Intense · V = Very Intense); the second, when there is one, is the kind of content that drives it (E = Emotional · P = Physical · S = Social · T = Thematic). Reading level and age range are rated separately. How we rate

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: high

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