Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated
Revenge of the bully
Scott Starkey
Revenge of the bully
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
a how to beat the bully novel
by Scott Starkey
The text is written at a 3rd 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
Rodney Rathbone is no ordinary kid—he’s a reluctant hero juggling football, friendship, and fierce rivals. He’s facing his toughest challenge yet: winning back Jessica’s trust while surviving his mom’s wild new job. Everything’s on the line, and Rodney’s about to find out why it all matters.
Themes
Quick Assessment
Rodney Rathbone makes his school football team by accident and discovers his arch-nemesis, a bully, is now his teammate and eager to dominate him. Alongside the schoolyard rivalry, he tries to win back his girlfriend Jessica's trust while his mother becomes a restaurant reviewer for a local paper and drags him along to fancy meals. Expect bullying, slapstick sports scuffles, and light crush-level romance, all handled with humor rather than harm.
Why we rated Revenge of the bully LE (Mild)
Revenge of the bully is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 276 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 5 and up can manage Revenge of the bully on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.
We rate Revenge of the bully 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: Bullying, Mild Peril.
Thematically, Revenge of the bully explores bullying, friendship, family, sports, and school — 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 bullying, friendship, family.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.
For Parents
Content Intensity
LE · Mild · EmotionalReading 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.
Content Flags
Was our "Mild" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Discussion Potential
3/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781442456778
- Pages
- 276
- Publisher
- Simon and Schuster
- Published
- 2014
- Type
- Fiction