Brooke's Bad Luck
Jo Whittemore
Brooke's Bad Luck
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Jo Whittemore
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
What if a psychic told you that bad luck was coming your way? Brooke Jacobs never believed in superstitions—until she starts tripping over everything, hurting her arm, and fighting with her boyfriend. Can she break the curse before her school newspaper’s biggest contest ever?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel follows Brooke Jacobs as she navigates friendship, school challenges, and self-doubt sparked by a psychic’s prediction of bad luck. Suitable for ages 9-12, it explores themes of resilience, personal responsibility, and teamwork in a relatable, humorous way without any concerning content.
Why we rated Brooke's Bad Luck 11LE
Brooke's Bad Luck is written at a Level 6 reading level across 260 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Brooke's Bad Luck works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Brooke's Bad Luck 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, Brooke's Bad Luck explores friendship, school & education, girls & women, and humor — 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, school & education, girls & women.
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
2/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780062359018
- Pages
- 260
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction