Spirit and dust

Name: Spirit and dust
Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore
ISBN: 9780385740807

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Reading Level 5-6 LP · Mild · Physical Ages 13+ Balanced Read

The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for teens (ages 13+), and the content is mild with minimal sensitive material. Its HootRating code, LP, means mild content, mostly physical.

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About This Book

Daisy Goodnight, a teen from a family of psychics and witches, uses her special abilities to assist with solving mysteries. When the FBI calls on her for help, she faces a complicated case that even unsettles the spirits themselves. Magic and mystery collide as Daisy navigates challenges beyond anything she’s encountered before.

Themes

MagicGhost storiesMystery Adventure Family

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 5-6 book with mild content intensity. Content themes include mild peril, fantasy violence, kidnapping. Written for readers ages 13+.

Why we rated Spirit and dust LP (Mild)

Spirit and dust is written at a Level 5-6 reading level across 387 pages (approximately 93,994 words). Upper Grades (Ages 13+) is the typical interest range for this book — readers in that age band have the maturity and attention span suited to the story, separate from whether they can decode the words.

Read aloud, Spirit and dust runs about 10.5 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate Spirit and dust as LP (Mild, mostly physical) 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, Kidnapping.

Thematically, Spirit and dust explores magic, ghost stories, mystery, adventure, and family — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 13+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about magic, ghost stories, mystery.

Maybe not for

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

For Parents

Content Intensity

LP · Mild · Physical

Emotional

Gentle

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.