Dead is just a rumor

Name: Dead is just a rumor
Author: Marlene Perez
ISBN: 9780547345925

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Marlene Perez

Reading Level 3 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

What if someone was sending scary letters to all the supernatural kids in town? Psychic Daisy Giordano has to figure out who’s behind the mystery while her werewolf boyfriend prepares to leave for college. But when her cooking lessons turn dangerous, can Daisy keep everyone safe?

Themes

SupernaturalPsychic AbilityWerewolvesSistersHigh School

Quick Assessment

Psychic high schooler Daisy Giordano and her sisters investigate anonymous blackmail letters sent to supernatural residents of a Halloween-obsessed town, while Daisy's father, recently freed from years of captivity by an anti-paranormal group, struggles to adjust to her growing up. Expect suspenseful scares, mild peril, and fantasy violence, along with a light romance and some tension over Daisy's relationship with her werewolf boyfriend. It suits older teens who enjoy supernatural mysteries with a bit of spooky creepiness.

Why we rated Dead is just a rumor LE (Mild)

Dead is just a rumor is written at a Level 3 reading level across 201 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 Dead is just a rumor as LE (Mild, mostly 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, Dead is just a rumor explores supernatural, psychic ability, werewolves, sisters, and high school — 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 supernatural, psychic ability, werewolves.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Mild

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.

Data confidence: high

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