Missing Bully
Steven Brezenoff
Missing Bully
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
An Interactive Mystery Adventure
by Steven Brezenoff
The text is written at a 4th 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 have a secret: Anton Gutman, the school bully, has vanished during a zoo trip. Sam, Egg, Gum, and Cat know something strange is going on, but the mystery is just beginning. What if you could choose how their adventure ends?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade mystery follows four friends investigating the disappearance of a notorious school bully during a zoo field trip. The book offers interactive storytelling with 12 possible endings, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving. Suitable for ages 9-12, it contains mild suspense and themes of friendship and cooperation without intense content.
Why we rated Missing Bully 9LE
Missing Bully is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 112 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Missing Bully works for readers up to grade 6.5.
We rate Missing Bully as 9LE ("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, Missing Bully explores mystery, friendship, adventure, and children's 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 mystery, friendship, adventure.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
9LE — Light — EmotionalLight conflict or tension. Mild peril resolved quickly.
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
3/10A 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
- 9781496526465
- Pages
- 112
- Publisher
- Capstone
- Published
- 2017
- Type
- Fiction