The black

Name: The black
Author: D. J. MacHale
ISBN: 9781416965176

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by D. J. MacHale

Reading Level 3-4 ME · Moderate · Emotional Ages 9-12 Heads Up

The text is written at a 3rd 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. Its HootRating code, ME, means moderate content, mostly emotional.

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About This Book

Cooper wakes up, but everything feels wrong—dark shadows stretch across the empty road, and strange whispers fill the air. He tries to remember what happened, but his past is a puzzle with missing pieces. Suddenly, a chilling secret bursts into the light, and nothing will ever be the same.

Themes

Horror storiesDeathSupernaturalMystery Friendship

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade supernatural horror is the second book in the Morpheus Road trilogy, shifting the point of view to Cooper as he reveals his side of a mystery that connects back to his friend Marshall. Expect eerie, suspenseful scenes involving death and the unsettling supernatural, though the story is driven more by mystery and twists than by graphic gore. It is a good fit for confident readers around the middle-grade range who enjoy spooky, fast-paced fiction.

Why we rated The black ME (Moderate)

The black is written at a Level 3-4 reading level across 405 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 5 and up can manage The black on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The black as ME (Moderate, mostly 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, thematic difficulty — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the moderate intensity score.

Thematically, The black explores horror stories, death, supernatural, mystery, and friendship — 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 horror stories, death, supernatural.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.

For Parents

Content Intensity

ME · Moderate · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Mild

Social

Gentle

Thematic

Moderate

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

Real stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.

Data confidence: high

Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?