Dylan's Hawaiian Ghost
Kathleen Troy
Dylan's Hawaiian Ghost
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Kathleen Troy
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material.
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About This Book
Casey, Dylan, and Sumo splash through the lush forests of O'ahu, their eyes locked on the shimmering waters of Sacred Falls. Suddenly, Kekoa bursts into their path, breathless and worried—someone's stealing the magical healing waters! As shadows stretch across the falls, a ghostly figure appears, and the chase is on.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade mystery follows Casey, his dog Dylan, and their friend Sumo as they vacation on O'ahu and help a new friend protect the Sacred Falls' healing waters from a mysterious thief. The story blends adventure with Hawaiian cultural elements, suitable for ages 9-12, and contains themes of friendship and environmental respect. There are mild suspense elements but no intense content.
Why we rated Dylan's Hawaiian Ghost 11LE
Dylan's Hawaiian Ghost is written at a Level 6 reading level across 270 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Dylan's Hawaiian Ghost works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Dylan's Hawaiian Ghost as 11LE ("Light — 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, Dylan's Hawaiian Ghost explores friendship, adventure, mystery, environmental awareness, and cultural heritage — 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.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, adventure, mystery.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781959215134
- Pages
- 270
- Publisher
- Dylan and Friends Publishing Company
- Published
- 2023
- Type
- Fiction