Burned
P. C. Cast
Burned
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A House of Night Novel
by P. C. Cast
The text is written at a 7th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
What happens when friendship breaks and darkness takes hold? Zoey's world is falling apart, and her soul feels shattered beyond repair. Can her friends find a way to bring her back before time runs out?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Burned is a middle-grade supernatural fiction novel featuring vampires and complex friendship dynamics. The story explores themes of trust, loyalty, and emotional struggle suitable for ages 9-12, with some darker moments involving heartbreak and supernatural challenges. Parents should note the presence of fantasy violence and emotional intensity but no explicit content.
Why we rated Burned 12ME
Burned is written at a Level 7 reading level across 333 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Burned works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Burned as 12ME ("Moderate — 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, Burned explores friendship, supernatural, vampires, emotional struggle, and coming of age — 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, supernatural, vampires.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781429910958
- Pages
- 333
- Publisher
- St. Martin's Griffin
- Published
- 2010
- Type
- Fiction