What reading level is The club?

The club by Stephanie Watson is at a Level 4-5 reading level. Recommended for Middle Grades Plus readers (Ages 11+).

What age is The club appropriate for?

The club is recommended for Ages 11+. HootRating: 9ME (Moderate — Emotional). Content flags: Fantasy Violence, Fear & Anxiety.

What genre is The club?

The club is fiction — Young Adult Fiction. Part of the Night Fall series.

Does The club have any content warnings?

The club has a HootRating of 9ME (Moderate — Emotional). Content flags include: Fantasy Violence, Fear & Anxiety. On HootRated, every book is rated across four dimensions — emotional, physical, social, and thematic — to help parents make informed choices.

How many pages is The club?

The club by Stephanie Watson is 116 pages (approximately 14,370 words).

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated May 18, 2026

The club

Stephanie Watson

The club

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Stephanie Watson

Night Fall

Reading Level 4-5 9ME Ages 11+ Matched Page-Turner

The text is written at a 4th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for older middle graders (ages 11+), and the content has moderate intensity with some emotionally heavy themes.

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About This Book

When Josh and his friends discover a mysterious game called "Black Magic," their lives take a spooky turn as their fortunes soar and misfortune strikes those who have crossed them. What begins as harmless fun soon spirals into a chilling mystery that tests their courage and friendship. To break the eerie spell, they must uncover secrets hidden in an ancient diary—if they can survive the dark forces they've awakened.

Themes

Friendship MysteryHorror storiesAdventure

Quick Assessment

This is a Level 4-5 book with moderate content intensity. Content themes include fantasy violence, fear & anxiety. Written for readers ages 11+.

Why we rated The club 9ME

The club is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 116 pages (approximately 14,370 words). Strong independent readers around grade 5.1 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The club works for readers up to grade 6.1.

Read aloud, The club runs about 1.6 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.

We rate The club as 9ME ("Moderate — 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, physical peril — these are the dimensions parents should evaluate against their reader's tolerance.

Specific content flags noted by reviewers: Fantasy Violence, Fear & Anxiety.

Thematically, The club explores friendship, mystery, horror stories, and adventure — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.

Good fit for

✓ Children in the Ages 11+ range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
✓ Kids drawn to stories about friendship, mystery, horror stories.

Maybe not for

! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
! Children who are sensitive to violence, even when handled at age-appropriate levels.