Short & Shivery

Name: Short & Shivery
Author: Robert D. San Souci
ISBN: 0440418046

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

Scary Short Stories for Kids

by Robert D. San Souci

Illustrated by Katherine Coville

NO OFFICIAL SERIES TITLE

Reading Level 6-7 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

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. Its HootRating code, LE, means mild content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Dive into a collection of eerie tales that will send shivers down your spine! From haunted forests to mysterious shadows, these thirty spooky stories from around the world bring ghosts, monsters, and mysterious happenings right to your fingertips. Perfect for brave readers looking to enjoy a thrilling scare just in time for Halloween.

Themes

HalloweenFolkloreGhost StoriesAdventure

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 6-7 book with mild content intensity. Content themes include mild peril, fantasy violence, fear & anxiety. Written for readers ages 9-12.

Why we rated Short & Shivery LE (Mild)

Short & Shivery is written at a Level 6-7 reading level across 192 pages (approximately 40,272 words). Reading-wise, most kids in grade 8 and up can manage Short & Shivery on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

Read aloud, Short & Shivery runs about 4.5 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Short & Shivery 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: Mild Peril, Fantasy Violence, Fear & Anxiety.

Thematically, Short & Shivery explores halloween, folklore, ghost stories, and adventure — 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 who like a steady plot with enough momentum to keep pages turning.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about halloween, folklore, ghost stories.
✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 41 more books in the NO OFFICIAL SERIES TITLE series.

Maybe not for

! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Mild ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

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.