Please Ignore Vera Dietz
A. S. King
Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by A. S. King
The text is written at a 7th 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
The sharp scent of rain-soaked pavement fills the air as Vera hears whispers only she can understand. Ghostly voices tug at her heart, urging her to uncover secrets hidden in shadows. What if facing the truth means risking everything she thought she knew?
Themes
Quick Assessment
Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a compelling middle-grade novel that explores themes of grief, friendship, and family struggles through the eyes of an 18-year-old coping with her best friend's mysterious death. It addresses serious topics such as bullying, mental health, and substance use in a thoughtful manner suitable for ages 9-12, though some scenes involving hallucinations and drinking may warrant parental guidance. This award-winning book offers a gripping, emotional story that encourages discussions about loss and healing.
Why we rated Please Ignore Vera Dietz 12IE
Please Ignore Vera Dietz is written at a Level 7 reading level across 336 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 8.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Please Ignore Vera Dietz works for readers up to grade 9.0.
We rate Please Ignore Vera Dietz as 12IE ("Intense — 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, social complexity, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.
Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Substance Use, Grief, Bullying.
Thematically, Please Ignore Vera Dietz explores friendship, grief, bullying, family, and mental health — 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.
- ✓ Readers ready to talk through themes after they finish — there's enough substance for a meaningful conversation.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, grief, bullying.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Children currently coping with grief — the themes may hit close to home.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
12IE — Intense — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Content Flags
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
4/10Good conversation starter with themes worth exploring together.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781925603286
- Pages
- 336
- Publisher
- Text Publishing
- Published
- 2018
- Type
- Fiction