Dead is not an option

Name: Dead is not an option
Author: Marlene Perez
ISBN: 9780547345932

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Marlene Perez

Reading Level 3-4 LP · Mild · Physical 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, LP, means mild content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

Daisy Giordano isn’t your average high school senior—she’s a psychic detective who solves mysteries that no one else can. When vampires and shapeshifters clash, threatening to ruin prom, Daisy has to use her special powers to save the night. Because in her world, staying alive isn’t just important—it’s everything.

Themes

Psychic AbilityHigh SchoolsSistersInterpersonal RelationsSchools

Quick Assessment

Daisy Giordano, a high school senior with psychic abilities, juggles college worries while investigating a tense feud between vampires and shapeshifters that threatens the prom. Family relationships play a big role, as the rivalry reaches her home, where one sister is dating a vampire and another a werewolf. Expect fantasy conflict, some mild peril, and light romance in a lighthearted, fast-moving story.

Why we rated Dead is not an option LP (Mild)

Dead is not an option is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 240 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 not an option as LP (Mild, mostly physical) 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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Mild Peril, Fantasy Violence.

Thematically, Dead is not an option explores psychic ability, high schools, sisters, interpersonal relations, and schools — 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 psychic ability, high schools, sisters.

Maybe not for

! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LP · Mild · Physical

Emotional

Gentle

Physical

Mild ←

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

Light conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.