How to Get Away with Myrtle

Name: How to Get Away with Myrtle
Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce
ISBN: 9781616209193

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery

Reading Level 5-6 LP · Mild · Physical Ages 9-12 Balanced Read Page-Turner

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LP, means mild content, mostly physical.

Find on Amazon Listen on Audible

We may earn a commission from these links.

About This Book

Myrtle Hardcastle would rather solve mysteries than relax, so when a priceless tiara disappears and a body is found on a seaside train trip, she jumps into action. With her clever mind, faithful cat Peony, and a knack for noticing clues, Myrtle sets out to uncover who among the passengers is a thief and a killer. Adventure and intrigue await as she outsmarts the local police and races against time to crack the case.

Themes

Mystery Adventure Friendship Family

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 5-6 book with mild content intensity. Content themes include mild peril, fantasy violence. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated How to Get Away with Myrtle LP (Mild)

How to Get Away with Myrtle is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 352 pages (approximately 73,161 words). Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage How to Get Away with Myrtle on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

Read aloud, How to Get Away with Myrtle runs about 8.1 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate How to Get Away with Myrtle 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, How to Get Away with Myrtle explores mystery, adventure, friendship, and family — 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.
✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about mystery, adventure, friendship.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 3 more books in the Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery series.

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.