Demon derby

Name: Demon derby
Author: Carrie Harris
ISBN: 9780385742177

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Carrie Harris

Reading Level 4-5 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 13+ Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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

The sharp scrape of roller skates on the rink echoes all around, while a chill runs down your spine at the touch of a Halloween night breeze. Casey, once fearless on wheels, now faces shadows darker than ever before. Can she fight demons and skate her way back to the light?

Themes

Roller SkatingCancerParanormal FictionAdventure Coming of Age

Quick Assessment

After beating cancer, a high school junior joins a roller derby team and discovers its manager trains demon hunters, and that she has become a target herself. Expect supernatural fight scenes, a lot of humor, and a close look at what it means to be treated as fragile after an illness. Romance stays at the level of a crush, and the emphasis is on action and loyalty, making it a good fit for teens who enjoy paranormal adventure.

Why we rated Demon derby ME (Moderate)

Demon derby is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 298 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 Demon derby 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.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.

Thematically, Demon derby explores roller skating, cancer, paranormal fiction, adventure, 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.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about roller skating, cancer, paranormal fiction.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Moderate

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: high

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