Bully #1

Name: Bully #1
Author: Greg Pak
ISBN: 9781098250713

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Greg Pak

Graphic Novels (ABDO/Spotlight); Stranger Things (ABDO/Spotlight)

Reading Level 1-2 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up Page-Turner

The text is written at a 1st 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

Tyler faces his toughest challenge yet when he teams up with a pirate crew to rescue his friends from a powerful guardian. Along the way, he must find the courage to confront his bully and protect those he cares about. Filled with thrilling adventure and bold action, this graphic novel captures the spirit of bravery and friendship.

Themes

Friendship AdventureComics & Graphic NovelsComing of Age

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 1-2 book with moderate content intensity. Note: content intensity (Moderate) exceeds what the reading level might suggest. Content themes include bullying, fantasy violence, physical danger. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated Bully #1 ME (Moderate)

Bully #1 is written at a Level 1-2 reading level across 24 pages (approximately 483 words). 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.

Read aloud, Bully #1 takes about 3 minutes, which fits within a single read-aloud session.

We rate Bully #1 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, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Bullying, Fantasy Violence, Physical Danger.

Thematically, Bully #1 explores friendship, adventure, comics & graphic novels, and coming of age — 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.
✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, adventure, comics & graphic novels.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there is one more book in the Graphic Novels (ABDO/Spotlight); Stranger Things (ABDO/Spotlight) series.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.
! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic reading-level-vs-content mismatch.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Moderate

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Gentle

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.