Immortal Max

Name: Immortal Max
Author: Lutricia Clifton
ISBN: 9780823430413

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Lutricia Clifton

Reading Level 3 C · Gentle Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 3rd grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes. Its HootRating code, C, means gentle content.

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About This Book

Sammy sneaks through the backyard, heart pounding as he spots the perfect puppy waiting just beyond the fence. But when a sudden shout breaks the quiet, everything changes in an instant. What will Sammy do now?

Themes

DogsBrothers and sistersSingle-parent familiesMoneymaking projectsFiction

Quick Assessment

Sammy, twelve, spends a complicated summer working toward his long-held goal of buying a purebred puppy, and along the way he learns to value what his family already gives him. The story follows money-making projects, sibling relationships, and life in a single-parent household, with gentle emotional stakes and no graphic content. It suits middle-grade readers and offers easy conversation starters about saving, priorities, and gratitude.

Why we rated Immortal Max C (Gentle)

Immortal Max is written at a Level 3 reading level across 168 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 4 and up can manage Immortal Max on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate Immortal Max as C (Gentle) because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.

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

Thematically, Immortal Max explores dogs, brothers and sisters, single-parent families, moneymaking projects, and fiction — 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 dogs, brothers and sisters, single-parent families.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

C · Gentle

Emotional

Mild

Physical

Gentle

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

No conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.

Data confidence: high

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