Otherwise known as Possum

Name: Otherwise known as Possum
Author: Maria D. Laso
ISBN: 9780545927956

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Maria D. Laso

Reading Level 5-6 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

After losing her mother, Possum starts attending school determined to show she already knows it all from her mom’s homeschooling. But her plan gets tricky when her teacher develops feelings for her dad, making Possum’s school life more complicated than she expected.

Themes

FamilyGriefSchoolsFathers and DaughtersJuvenile Fiction

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 5-6 book with mild content intensity. Content themes include loss & grief, divorce & family change, romantic content. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated Otherwise known as Possum LE (Mild)

Otherwise known as Possum is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 228 pages (approximately 49,044 words). Reading-wise, most kids in grade 7 and up can manage Otherwise known as Possum on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

Read aloud, Otherwise known as Possum runs about 5.5 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Otherwise known as Possum as LE (Mild, mostly 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.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Loss & Grief, Divorce & Family Change, Romantic Content.

Thematically, Otherwise known as Possum explores family, grief, schools, fathers and daughters, and juvenile 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.
✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, grief, schools.

Maybe not for

! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Mild

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.