Deaf Not Deaf
Christian Fusco
Deaf Not Deaf
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Christian Fusco
The text is written at a 6th 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
Shack grabs Rian’s cochlear implant and snaps it in two before she even knows what’s happening. Sixth grade just got a whole lot harder in this new school where no one seems to understand her—not the 'normal' kids, and not even the Deaf kids. But when Rian and Luis team up, their plan to get back at Shack might just unleash something spooky they didn’t expect...
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade novel explores the challenges of navigating identity and belonging through the eyes of Rian, a cochlear implant user, and Luis, a Deaf ASL user. Set in a diverse urban school, it addresses themes of bullying, friendship, and cultural differences within the Deaf and hearing communities. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story contains mild peril and themes of revenge with a supernatural twist that parents may want to discuss with their children.
Why we rated Deaf Not Deaf 11ME
Deaf Not Deaf is written at a Level 6 reading level across 238 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Deaf Not Deaf works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Deaf Not Deaf as 11ME ("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, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Bullying, Mild Peril, Supernatural Elements.
Thematically, Deaf Not Deaf explores friendship, identity & self-discovery, disability representation, multicultural, and school life — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, identity & self-discovery, disability representation.
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
11ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
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
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780578948232
- Pages
- 238
- Publisher
- Fusco, Christian
- Published
- 2021
- Type
- Fiction