Extremities

Name: Extremities
Author: David Lubar
ISBN: 9780765334602

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

Stories of Death, Murder, and Revenge

by David Lubar

Reading Level 3 IE · Intense · Emotional Ages 13+ Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is intense and may include graphic or distressing scenes. Its HootRating code, IE, means intense content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

What if the shadows around you hid secrets darker than you ever imagined? Imagine stepping into stories where every twist could lead to danger or revenge. Can you face these chilling tales, or will they change the way you see the world forever?

Themes

Juvenile fictionShort storiesDark fictionRevengeMystery

Quick Assessment

This collection of thirteen dark short stories for teens centers on death, murder, and revenge, including a plot where students plan payback against a cruel teacher and a tale set aboard a ship for the dead. Expect frequent violence, eerie horror, and morally gray choices, with the tone more macabre than gory in most stories. It suits older teen readers comfortable with grim, suspenseful fiction, and parents may want to preview it for those sensitive to murder and vengeance.

Why we rated Extremities IE (Intense)

Extremities is written at a Level 3 reading level across 205 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 Extremities as IE (Intense, mostly emotional) because the content sits in the "Intense" range — intense conflict including peril, frightening scenes, or emotionally heavy themes. The strongest signals come from emotional weight, physical peril, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Death, Murder, Revenge.

Thematically, Extremities explores juvenile fiction, short stories, dark fiction, revenge, and mystery — 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 juvenile fiction, short stories, dark fiction.

Maybe not for

! Sensitive readers who get overwhelmed by intense conflict or scary scenes.
! Children younger than 13 — the content intensity is above what most younger kids can process comfortably.
! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.
! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic reading-level-vs-content mismatch.

For Parents

Content Intensity

IE · Intense · Emotional

Emotional

Intense ←

Physical

Moderate

Social

Mild

Thematic

Moderate

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

Heavy themes explored in depth. War, death, abuse addressed directly.