What reading level is The game of Love and Death?

The game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough is at a Level 4-5 reading level (Lexile 710L). Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is The game of Love and Death appropriate for?

The game of Love and Death is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 9ME (Moderate — Emotional).

What genre is The game of Love and Death?

The game of Love and Death is fiction — African American teenage girls.

Does The game of Love and Death have any content warnings?

The game of Love and Death has a HootRating of 9ME (Moderate — Emotional). No specific content flags noted. 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 game of Love and Death?

The game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough is 329 pages.

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated September 7, 2026

The game of Love and Death

Martha Brockenbrough

The game of Love and Death

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Martha Brockenbrough

Reading Level 4-5 9ME 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.

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About This Book

Love and Death are playing a game with two teenagers in 1937 Seattle — but this is no ordinary game. Henry and Flora must choose each other or face a deadly fate. What would you risk for love when the stakes are life and death?

Themes

LoveFriendship Historical MulticulturalJuvenile fiction

Quick Assessment

Set in 1937 Seattle, this middle-grade novel follows Henry and Flora, two teenagers caught in a supernatural game between immortal figures Love and Death. The story explores themes of interracial friendship and love against the backdrop of historical context. Suitable for ages 9-12, it contains mild peril but no graphic content.

Why we rated The game of Love and Death 9ME

The game of Love and Death is written at a Level 4-5 reading level with a Lexile measure of 710L across 329 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The game of Love and Death works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate The game of Love and Death as 9ME ("Moderate — 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 game of Love and Death explores love, friendship, historical, multicultural, and juvenile fiction — 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 love, friendship, historical.