The dead boyfriend
Robert Lawrence Stine
The dead boyfriend
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
A Fear Street Novel
by Robert Lawrence Stine
The text is written at a 6th 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.
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About This Book
What if your boyfriend wasn’t just mad at you, but actually came back from the dead? Imagine facing a spooky surprise when someone you thought was gone starts showing up everywhere. Can Caitlin handle a love that won’t let go?
Themes
Quick Assessment
This middle-grade fiction explores themes of jealousy and complex interpersonal relationships through a supernatural twist. It features a 17-year-old protagonist who deals with the consequences of a tragic event involving her boyfriend, who mysteriously returns after death. Suitable for ages 9-12, parents should be aware of mature themes like anger and supernatural elements presented in a suspenseful context.
Why we rated The dead boyfriend 11ME
The dead boyfriend is written at a Level 6 reading level across 276 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 7.0 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The dead boyfriend works for readers up to grade 8.0.
We rate The dead boyfriend as 11ME ("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 — 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 dead boyfriend explores interpersonal relations, jealousy, dating, fiction, and supernatural — 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.
- ✓ Patient readers who enjoy slower, character-driven stories.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about interpersonal relations, jealousy, dating.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers who get easily upset by emotional or moderately dark scenes — the conflict here is real, not just background flavor.
- ! Reluctant readers who need a fast hook — the pacing here rewards patience.
For Parents
Content Intensity
11ME — Moderate — EmotionalReal stakes and emotional weight. May include sustained danger, loss, or bullying.
Was our "Moderate" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
1/10A steady, thoughtful read that rewards patient readers.
Discussion Potential
2/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9781250058959
- Pages
- 276
- Publisher
- Macmillan
- Published
- 2016
- Type
- Fiction