What reading level is The girl with the ghost machine?

The girl with the ghost machine by Lauren DeStefano is at a Level 4-5 reading level (Lexile 740L). Recommended for Middle Grades readers (Ages 9-12).

What age is The girl with the ghost machine appropriate for?

The girl with the ghost machine is recommended for Ages 9-12. HootRating: 9ME (Moderate — Emotional).

What genre is The girl with the ghost machine?

The girl with the ghost machine is fiction — Juvenile Fiction.

Does The girl with the ghost machine have any content warnings?

The girl with the ghost machine 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 girl with the ghost machine?

The girl with the ghost machine by Lauren DeStefano is 214 pages.

Reviewed by HootRated editorial · Last updated September 7, 2026

The girl with the ghost machine

Lauren DeStefano

The girl with the ghost machine

Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide

by Lauren DeStefano

Reading Level 4-5 9ME Ages 9-12 Matched

The text is written at a 4th 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

Here's a secret: there's a machine that can bring back the people we've lost. Imagine what it would be like to see your dad again, to hold onto hope when everything feels gone—but that's only the beginning.

Themes

GriefFathers and daughtersGhost storiesInventionsJuvenile fiction

Quick Assessment

This middle-grade novel explores themes of grief and hope through the story of a girl who encounters a machine that claims to bring back lost loved ones. Written for readers aged 9 to 12, it thoughtfully addresses emotional loss and the bonds between fathers and daughters within a ghost story framework. Parents should note the presence of supernatural elements and themes of mourning handled in an age-appropriate manner.

Why we rated The girl with the ghost machine 9ME

The girl with the ghost machine is written at a Level 4-5 reading level with a Lexile measure of 740L across 214 pages. Strong independent readers around grade 5.5 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, The girl with the ghost machine works for readers up to grade 6.5.

We rate The girl with the ghost machine 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 — 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 girl with the ghost machine explores grief, fathers and daughters, ghost stories, inventions, 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 grief, fathers and daughters, ghost stories.

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.