Lily's ghosts
Laura Ruby
Lily's ghosts
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Laura Ruby
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
I’m about to tell you a secret: Lily’s new home isn’t just old and creepy—it’s full of ghosts. Some are angry, some are restless, and they all have stories tangled up with hers. But that’s only the beginning of a mystery that could change everything.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Lily's Ghosts is a middle-grade novel about a girl who moves to a haunted summerhouse in Cape May after her mother’s breakup and financial struggles. The story explores themes of family change, friendship, and mystery as Lily and a local boy uncover a sinister plot involving restless spirits. Appropriate for ages 9-12, it contains mild supernatural elements and some emotional moments related to family upheaval.
Why we rated Lily's ghosts 11LE
Lily's ghosts is written at a Level 6 reading level across 258 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Lily's ghosts works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate Lily's ghosts 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, Lily's ghosts explores ghosts, mothers and daughters, interpersonal relations, friendship, and mystery — 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 ghosts, mothers and daughters, interpersonal relations.
Maybe not for
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
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
2/10A 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
- 0060518294
- Pages
- 258
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- 2003
- Type
- Fiction