The curse of Addy McMahon

Name: The curse of Addy McMahon
Author: Katie Davis
ISBN: 9780061287121

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Katie Davis

Reading Level 4-5 LE · Mild · Emotional Ages 9-12 Balanced Read

The text is written at a 4th 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

Addy’s shopping for a training bra when her archenemy spots her, and everything feels like it’s going wrong. Her mom’s boyfriend is moving in, and her best friend Jackie won’t even talk to her anymore. Could the McMahon family curse really be behind all this trouble—or is there something else happening?

Themes

Friendship FamilyGriefAuthorshipCartoons and comics

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel follows Addy McMahon as she navigates family challenges, friendship struggles, and the mysterious stories surrounding her family’s supposed curse. Suitable for ages 9-12, the story gently explores themes of grief, family dynamics, and the complexities of middle school friendships. There is no intense content, but parents should be aware of social challenges and emotional themes typical for this age group.

Why we rated The curse of Addy McMahon LE (Mild)

The curse of Addy McMahon is written at a Level 4-5 reading level across 271 pages. Reading-wise, most kids in grade 6 and up can manage The curse of Addy McMahon on their own; younger readers can enjoy it with a parent or teacher reading along.

We rate The curse of Addy McMahon 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. The strongest signals come from emotional weight — 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 mild intensity score.

Thematically, The curse of Addy McMahon explores friendship, family, grief, authorship, and cartoons and comics — 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 friendship, family, grief.

Maybe not for

! Readers looking for something heavier — this is a gentle, low-stakes story by design.

For Parents

Content Intensity

LE · Mild · Emotional

Emotional

Moderate ←

Physical

Gentle

Social

Mild

Thematic

Mild

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.

Data confidence: high

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