Life by committee
Corey Ann Haydu
Life by committee
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Corey Ann Haydu
The text is written at a 6th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.
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About This Book
Tabitha did something super secret—she kissed her best friend's boyfriend! Now she has to do daring challenges from a mysterious website called Life by Committee to keep her secret safe. But when the dares push her to the edge, she wonders: how far should bravery really go?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Life by Committee is a middle-grade novel about Tabitha, a girl navigating complicated friendships, first crushes, and the challenges of keeping secrets. The story explores themes of honesty, peer pressure, and self-discovery, with some mild romantic content and emotional tension suitable for ages 9-12. Parents should note that the protagonist deals with complex feelings about relationships and secrecy but in a way appropriate for middle-grade readers.
Why we rated Life by committee 11ME
Life by committee is written at a Level 6 reading level across 298 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Life by committee works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Life by committee as 11ME ("Moderate — 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, thematic difficulty — 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, Life by committee explores friendship, coming of age, secrets, romance, and social media — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, coming of age, secrets.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780062294067
- Pages
- 298
- Publisher
- Katherine Tegen Books
- Published
- 2015
- Type
- Fiction